Brad Stevens - old school coach

Coach Stevens leading the huddle at Celtics training camp in Newport, RI

Boston Celtic's head coach Brad Stevens is well known in basketball for being a little bit of a nerd. With an economics degree and a passion for the analytics of basketball, it's easy to forget that Stevens is not all about the numbers:

“If I had to choose between analytics and culture, I’d choose culture,” he said, culture being his tag for most all that hoop evaluation has been about. “Now, I think you can choose both, and you can do both well. I think analytics are a part of winning. Culture is the foundation of winning. At least that’s what I believe. Why not have a little bit of an advantage here or there, knowing who you’re guarding and how they like to play.”

Stevens went on to further discuss the "eye test" so to speak:

But Stevens also knows there is much to be gained from looking into a player’s eyes when there are 15 seconds left in a one-point game. Numbers might tell a long-term tale, but a player’s well-established personality can provide more accurate information with regard to different situations. “That’s the subjective part,” Stevens said. “That’s what’s hard for (those of) us who are numbers guys by birth to figure out — what makes a guy tick, what inspires him, what motivates him when things aren’t going well, how you get up off the mat, how you respond to success.

Brad Stevens strikes me as a very smart man, someone I trust the future of the Celtics with. I am an "eye test" guy and admittedly undervalue numbers. However I feel confident that Stevens has a strong enough grasp on the human aspect of the game, that the analytics should only boost his ability to get the best out of his players.

With Boston's first pre-season game Monday night at the Garden, all eyes will be on Stevens. But Stevens eyes won't be only on the numbers.

Source: Boston Herald
Photo: Boston Herald

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