The Boston Celtics announced through Twitter Wednesday the hiring of Butler University basketball coach Brad Stevens, according to NBA.com.
“The Celtics have hired Brad Stevens as their next head coach,” read the tweet from the organization.
Stevens is famous for carrying the Butler Bulldogs to two back-to-back NCAA Finals. The Celtics are hoping he carries that same success to an NBA franchise that has been the definition of the success for decades.
The hiring of Stevens, 36, shows the Celtics are all-in with rebuilding their team. The departures of head coach Doc Rivers, long-time Celtics superstar Paul Pierce, star power forward Kevin Garnett and guard Jason Terry have left a much younger core in Boston—a young core the Celtics want the young coach to lead.
“Brad and I share a lot of the same values,” said Celtics general manager Danny Ainge. “Though he is young, I see Brad as a great leader who leads with impeccable character and a strong work ethic. His teams always play hard and execute on both ends of the court. Brad is a coach who has already enjoyed lots of success, and I look forward to working with him towards Banner 18.” Stevens is the youngest coach in the NBA.
Boston seems to be following the same formula as the Indiana Pacers—a formula that got the Pacers to Game 7 against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Indiana is coached by Frank Vogel, 39 and the average player age is 24-years old. Vogel took the team to a 49-32 regular season record and led a defensive power house as the Pacers were second in the NBA in points allowed.
The Celtics’ average player age about 25.
One of the issues being discussed this offseason is the mindset of star guard Rajon Rondo heading into the fall. Many are questioning whether Rondo will want to stay on a rebuilding team after being on a championship caliber team for a majority of his career. (Rondo missed the end of the 2012-2013 regular season and all of the postseason with a torn ACL.)
The Celtics have said they will not be shopping Rondo. So unless he starts demanding a trade, it looks like a young coach and an all-star point guard will be at the head of the Celtics rebuilding process.
