Brad Stevens, president of the Celtics, shares a lesson…
He spent eight seasons as Danny Ainge’s employee. Stevens took up Ainge’s position as President of Basketball Operations after he left the Celtics in 2021.
In a recent interview with Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports, Stevens claimed that despite their differing playing styles, he has learnt a lot from Ainge over the years.
“I learned a lot from Danny,” Bulpett was informed by Stevens. Danny is a wonderful person, but I think I learned the most from him than anything else was that he wasn’t always on board with everything I did. In fact, I think he said things like, ‘No, that probably won’t work.'” However, he consistently gave me the freedom to carry out my duties and was quite encouraging.
Before becoming an executive for the Celtics, Ainge led the Phoenix Suns for three seasons in addition to his playing career. According to Stevens, it was beneficial for him to have an executive with Ainge’s experience as a coach. Stevens now imparts his knowledge to Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics’ current coach.
“I always thought that [Ainge] understood the difficulty of coaching at the end of the day. I am aware of how difficult coaching can be,” Stevens remarked. “I understand how Joe Mazzolla feels as the season progresses.
I’m aware of the highs and lows. “I am aware of his worries,” Stevens continued. “I am aware of the things that excite him. I am aware of the team’s situation and am aware of how difficult it is for the coach. Danny did that for me every time, and I believe he did it for many others in the building as well. Having to follow Danny is a difficult act to follow.
The last time the Celtics have been the champions was when Ainge’s squad defeated Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the 2008 Finals.
The Celtics have the best record in the NBA going into the All-Star break this year and a good chance to make a deep postseason run once more.
The trades Stevens made to get Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis have made the Celtics the favorites to win it all.
Regarding the moves, Stevens remarked, “I think we’re always evaluating how we can get better, because I think if you’re not trying to get better, you’re probably going to get caught.” “Moreover, we weren’t the Finals or championship squad we had hoped to be in any case. Therefore, I just think you have to be aware of the possibility of getting caught at all times.
