Isaiah Thomas Believes Brad Stevens Could Be One Of Greatest Coaches Ever

Brad Stevens didn’t win NBA Coach of the Year this season. In fact, he didn’t even finish in the top five.

But the Boston Celtics head coach has earned a reputation as one of the brightest young minds in the league, and his star player is among those who hold Stevens in very high regard.

ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan published an excellent feature Tuesday on Stevens, and one of the highlights was Isaiah Thomas’ ultimate praise for his coach.

“It sounds crazy,” the Celtics point guard told MacMullan, via ESPN.com. “But Brad has the potential to be one of the greatest coaches who ever lived.”

Thomas’ words are pretty strong for a 39-year-old coach who has only been in the league three years. But when the All-Star point guard was asked about his comment Tuesday in Atlanta before Game 5 of Boston’s first-round playoff series against the Hawks, he didn’t back down.

“I said that?” Thomas joked, via MassLive.com’s Jay King. “I mean, the work he puts in first and foremost. The relationships he has with his players, I think that goes a long way, especially at the professional level. Everybody respects him. … And you know when other players say nice things about your coach, you must be doing something right.”

MacMullan’s story is packed with testimony of Stevens’ coaching prowess, from LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers fretting over Stevens’ many coaching adjustments during last season’s playoffs to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich marveling at Stevens’ stone-cold sideline demeanor.

The feature also reveals the former Butler coach’s secretly competitive nature — including his apparent love for the card game “Rack-O” — and is worth a read for any Celtics or NBA fan.