Jared Dudley says great things about Brad Stevens and Celtics future

"People like me."

It's no secret to any Boston fans how well Brad Stevens has done in his short time as head coach of the Celtics. The big hope is that he gets attention throughout the league, and not just from the media and coaches, but from players as well.

In Zach Lowe's Lowe Post podcast, Brad Stevens name was brought up by guest, and newly signed Wizards forward, Jared Dudley. When asked about which coaches he would most like to play for, Stevens was one of the names on the short list (for those who like the fun stuff like who you wouldn't play for, Dudley only named former Suns coach Lindsay Hunter).


Dudley cited former Milwaukee Bucks teammate, and former Celtic, Jerryd Bayless as his first source of Stevens hype, and had some very nice things to say about what NBA players are hearing and saying regarding his play calling, and overall approach to the game.


That kind of buzz around the league can't possibly hurt, but at the risk of overstating the influence it may have on players, a question posed by Lowe seemed to put things back in perspective. He questioned Dudley on if playing for a coach like that would override more money in a different situation, and the answer was an emphatic no.

However, Dudley did say in a situation where money was comparable that a player could certainly be swayed to one side or the other based on how they felt about the prospective coaches in each situation. Dudley also had good things to say about the organization overall, and the direction they were heading, saying he expected them to certainly make the playoffs this season.

ESPN's Chris Forsberg pulled this quote from the podcast in his piece, and it sums up pretty much everything.
"How about Boston?" Dudley said. "Boston came on crazy at the end [of the 2014-15 season]. You know what you have in Isaiah [Thomas]. You know what you have in [Avery] Bradley. [Jae] Crowder. They [traded for] David Lee, which, hey, that's a good backup. And then you have Amir along with Kelly Olynyk and all these other players. And then, let's just be honest, can anyone say -- I know [Milwaukee coach Jason] Kidd's up there -- but is Brad Stevens not one of the best young coaches out there? I mean, come on, I'm super-impressed with him and how he does his play calling."

While Jared Dudley saying the Celtics will make the playoffs hardly means that will come true, it is nice to hear a well traveled and well respected veteran who has never played for the Celtics sing their praises. Hopefully he isn't the only one out there who feels that way.



Photo Credit: John Wilcox/Boston Herald




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