Brad Stevens era coming into focus - and I like it a lot.

[Kiorrik]

" Stevens likes players with the following traits: gritty and tough, mentally and physically and with high basketball IQ's."

Stevens may, in fact, like these traits, but they do not describe Tatum and Brown. Tatum is hardly gritty and Brown has possibly the lowest basketball IQ on the team, along with Marcus Smart. They both have made the same mistakes over and over for a few years now.

I would call a guy like Jimmy Butler a gritty, tough competitor, not Jason Tatum.

I agree on the grit thing, but your assessment of bball IQ is way off.

You don't get 4th in steals with low bball IQ.

[pokeKingCurtis]

Ainge checklist:
Small defensive guards who can't shoot
Undersized bigs, bonus if they're chubby

Brad checklist:
Someone from Germany

Got DT in place of DS.   

Both Ainge + Stevens: players with colors for surnames - Jeff Green, DJ White, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Javonte Green

[DefenseWinsChamps]

" Stevens likes players with the following traits: gritty and tough, mentally and physically and with high basketball IQ's."

Stevens may, in fact, like these traits, but they do not describe Tatum and Brown. Tatum is hardly gritty and Brown has possibly the lowest basketball IQ on the team, along with Marcus Smart. They both have made the same mistakes over and over for a few years now.

I would call a guy like Jimmy Butler a gritty, tough competitor, not Jason Tatum.

I agree on the grit thing, but your assessment of bball IQ is way off.

You don't get 4th in steals with low bball IQ.

Both Tatum and Brown are tough, but not in the same way as Smart or Jimmy Butler, or someone else.

They've been extremely resilient throughout the multiple iterations of the roster over the past 3-4 years, with difficult teammates, awkward fits, disappointments, etc. Both players had the mental toughness to continue developing their game and believing that they can be the players that can be fulcrums of a championship team.

One of the key characteristics is that very little phases him. Coaches, opposing players, teammates, etc. have all said the same thing about him. That's mental toughness, but not the Kevin Garnett way. It's more in the Tim Duncan way.

Another important thing is that mental toughness comes with a clear understanding of who you are and what your abilities are. In other words, I firmly believe that mental toughness is an ability that can be developed. Some guys come in the league with it more developed, but through coaching, learning, and experience, it can be developed. I think both Tatum and Brown have developed significantly in this and will continue to learn how to win games in the face of adversity.

[Sophomore]

" Stevens likes players with the following traits: gritty and tough, mentally and physically and with high basketball IQ's."

Stevens may, in fact, like these traits, but they do not describe Tatum and Brown. Tatum is hardly gritty and Brown has possibly the lowest basketball IQ on the team, along with Marcus Smart. They both have made the same mistakes over and over for a few years now.

I would call a guy like Jimmy Butler a gritty, tough competitor, not Jason Tatum.

I agree on the grit thing, but your assessment of bball IQ is way off.

You don't get 4th in steals with low bball IQ.

Both Tatum and Brown are tough, but not in the same way as Smart or Jimmy Butler, or someone else.

They've been extremely resilient throughout the multiple iterations of the roster over the past 3-4 years, with difficult teammates, awkward fits, disappointments, etc. Both players had the mental toughness to continue developing their game and believing that they can be the players that can be fulcrums of a championship team.

One of the key characteristics is that very little phases him. Coaches, opposing players, teammates, etc. have all said the same thing about him. That's mental toughness, but not the Kevin Garnett way. It's more in the Tim Duncan way.

Another important thing is that mental toughness comes with a clear understanding of who you are and what your abilities are. In other words, I firmly believe that mental toughness is an ability that can be developed. Some guys come in the league with it more developed, but through coaching, learning, and experience, it can be developed. I think both Tatum and Brown have developed significantly in this and will continue to learn how to win games in the face of adversity.

TP. There’s more than one kind of toughness. During the game Scal pointed out that Tatum is 31-32 on free throws in clutch situations - and his one miss was intentional. He hit all four of his free throws down the stretch of this game. He’s not perfect - still sometimes takes hero ball shots I wish he would skip - but he’s getting better and I expect it to continue.

[PaxtonDarcy]

Can someone justify Andrew Wiggins starting the ASG?

I’m having a difficult time understanding it.

[Surferdad]

Reset on this thread:
With these moves, Brad's approach is indeed coming into focus, and it's different than what Ainge had pursued the last couple of years.

For quite a long time, Boston was not considered a preferred destination for top free agents or big stars in general. The C's rarely got those kind of guys after the Pierce/KG/Allen teams.  Then Ainge actually began getting them (Horford, Hayward, Irving, Walker) and many fans were pleased that he seemed to be becoming more aggressive, either through trades or signings, at acquiring big stars who would move the needle.  My view is that Ainge was trying to hit home runs. Unfortunately all those guys left, many on their own. 

Now, Brad is looking to hit singles and doubles.  C's can't compete for big stars just yet and instead he's trying to build a team identity based on tough defense, size at all positions, and better shooting.  The advantage of this approach is that the team will be more competitive in the short-term while also making the Celtics (though not necessarily the city/region which can't be changed) a more attractive place for elite stars.  Then financially, the collection of mid-level contracts of good players (Smart, Timelord, White, Theis) could be used at some future point to bring in a third star who would join a much better environment based on a real team identity and proven competitiveness in the playoffs.

[Sophomore]

That account of the reset makes sense. And I would add that he’s clearly abandoned the 2-track approach - trying to be good now and build a second wave of young players who will be good years down the road. He wants players in or entering their prime now. He hasn’t pushed the chips in yet but he will do it if the opportunity is there.

Could be a big test of the approach coming up. If there are good buyout players, can we lure any of them. Gary Harris would be awesome (Nesmith clearly is not trusted) or a backup PG (PP’s defense is going to be a major liability in the playoffs).

[PAOBoston]

Amused the rotation selections. Under Brad, he’d literally play everyone. Ime is the anti Brad and closer to Thibs. He literally plays 8 guys a game so I guess it’s a good thing that their top 8 guys are pretty solid: Smart, JB, JT, Horford, Williams, White, Theis, Williams.  I don’t think anyone else will get any real minutes after those guys unless it’s a break glass in case of emergency situation.

[Surferdad]

That account of the reset makes sense. And I would add that he’s clearly abandoned the 2-track approach - trying to be good now and build a second wave of young players who will be good years down the road. He wants players in or entering their prime now. He hasn’t pushed the chips in yet but he will do it if the opportunity is there.

Could be a big test of the approach coming up. If there are good buyout players, can we lure any of them. Gary Harris would be awesome (Nesmith clearly is not trusted) or a backup PG (PP’s defense is going to be a major liability in the playoffs).

I never believed the 2-track approach would work.  It's sort of impossible in this league: Seems like to have to commit to one track or the other because good young assets are hard to come by so you have to either develop them or use them in trades.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Amused the rotation selections. Under Brad, he’d literally play everyone. Ime is the anti Brad and closer to Thibs. He literally plays 8 guys a game so I guess it’s a good thing that their top 8 guys are pretty solid: Smart, JB, JT, Horford, Williams, White, Theis, Williams.  I don’t think anyone else will get any real minutes after those guys unless it’s a break glass in case of emergency situation.

I still feel, more so now than before, that Nesmith should be forced some spot minutes when possible. Hopefully he manages to get his confidence or jitters or whatever is deterring him in games under control, else he's useless to us.

[RMO]

Amused the rotation selections. Under Brad, he’d literally play everyone. Ime is the anti Brad and closer to Thibs. He literally plays 8 guys a game so I guess it’s a good thing that their top 8 guys are pretty solid: Smart, JB, JT, Horford, Williams, White, Theis, Williams.  I don’t think anyone else will get any real minutes after those guys unless it’s a break glass in case of emergency situation.

I still feel, more so now than before, that Nesmith should be forced some spot minutes when possible. Hopefully he manages to get his confidence or jitters or whatever is deterring him in games under control, else he's useless to us.

Agree which is why I was kind of surprised he didn't get any PT last night against the Nuggets.

[Celtics2021]

Amused the rotation selections. Under Brad, he’d literally play everyone. Ime is the anti Brad and closer to Thibs. He literally plays 8 guys a game so I guess it’s a good thing that their top 8 guys are pretty solid: Smart, JB, JT, Horford, Williams, White, Theis, Williams.  I don’t think anyone else will get any real minutes after those guys unless it’s a break glass in case of emergency situation.

I still feel, more so now than before, that Nesmith should be forced some spot minutes when possible. Hopefully he manages to get his confidence or jitters or whatever is deterring him in games under control, else he's useless to us.

Agree which is why I was kind of surprised he didn't get any PT last night against the Nuggets.

What if his shot is as broken in practice as it is in games?  A few minutes of playing time isn’t going to help.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Amused the rotation selections. Under Brad, he’d literally play everyone. Ime is the anti Brad and closer to Thibs. He literally plays 8 guys a game so I guess it’s a good thing that their top 8 guys are pretty solid: Smart, JB, JT, Horford, Williams, White, Theis, Williams.  I don’t think anyone else will get any real minutes after those guys unless it’s a break glass in case of emergency situation.

I still feel, more so now than before, that Nesmith should be forced some spot minutes when possible. Hopefully he manages to get his confidence or jitters or whatever is deterring him in games under control, else he's useless to us.

Agree which is why I was kind of surprised he didn't get any PT last night against the Nuggets.

What if his shot is as broken in practice as it is in games?  A few minutes of playing time isn’t going to help.

Everything I've seen/heard seem to indicate the contrary.

[jambr380]

People need to chill on the Ainge hate. Our top 4 players are all Ainge guys and they're the reason we are where we are right now. He also put together a true championship contender that unfortunately broke down 5 minutes into the 17-18 season (and I am obviously not even counting the Pierce/KG/Ray years).

We'll see what Brad does moving forward, but our rotation has essentially gone from 8 deep to 7 deep with the most recent trades. I love having Theis back, but he is our Freedom replacement, not Richardson replacement. If we can pick up a guy like Gary Harris, then I'll be psyched, but our first two signings (Hauser and Kornet) aren't going to cut it - they are clearly at best 14th and 15th guys on an NBA roster.

I think people are just happy to have a decisive man in charge - regardless of the decisions he makes. I'm willing to be patient and see what comes from it - I even like the White acquisition - but different (and apparently, nicer) doesn't necessarily mean better. And I don't really love the idea of trading our 1st round picks every year w/o acquiring a star-level player in return.

[Surferdad]

People need to chill on the Ainge hate. ...

I assume you are reacting to my two posts above on this page. Let me inform you are I am not an Ainge hater. I just think that his 2-track approach was not workable and that trying to hit 'home runs' had failed. That's not hate, it's more like Monday-morning quarterbacking (MMQ) which we all do as fans. MMQ is, by definition, unfair. I supported every move Ainge made and certainly drafting Tatum and Brown was part of that. I hoped all of Danny's move would work out. They didn't. That's all. IT'S NOT HATE.