Following Friday’s practice, Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving would discuss Celtics head coach Brad Stevens’ willingness to let players be themselves and simply be human. To Irving, Stevens’ attitude “means a lot.”
“He appreciates all of us for who we are as people first,” said Irving, “and then as players.”
Irving, who has been in news quite a bit as of late, recently discussed how he and Stevens conversed following the Celtics loss to the Houston Rockets.
It’s long been said but one of the traits that makes Stevens such a revered coach around the league is that he’s empathetic, attempting to understand his players on a personal level and connect with them in areas beyond basketball. On a team with so many complex personalities, from Marcus Morris to Marcus Smart, that’s an invaluable trait for a coach to have.
His ability to connect with players from a multitude of backgrounds has been one of the most impressive aspects of his coaching career and when he stops coaching or players head to different teams, he’ll be seen as not just a master strategist but a player’s coach as well.
Stevens has quite a few fans on the team, notably Irving and forward Gordon Hayward, the latter whom he coached at Butler University. Conversely, Stevens’ has come to be fond of Boston’s grittier players, guys like Smart and Terry Rozier.
Only time will tell, but Stevens has the demeanor, attitude, coaching acumen and roster on a path to be like the Gregg Popoviches and Steve Kerrs of the league. These are head coaches who are heavily-respected for their basketball minds but also because of their ability and willingness to respect, understand and empower their players.
