Brad Stevens is all for his players representing their respective countries.
The Boston Celtics head coach highlighted the benefits of international basketball Wednesday, telling The Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang the world game exposes NBA players, coaches and fans to new ideas about the sport. Stevens offered this opinion days before Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart begin competing at USA Basketball’s training camp, with hopes of earning roster spots on its 2019 FIBA World Cup team. Centers Daniel Theis and Vincent Poirier are expected to play for Germany and France, respectively.
“I think it’s great when you get a chance to play for your country,” Stevens said. “I think the international game, which the NBA has become more like in the past five years, opens you up to new ideas and new things. It also really challenges you because you’re out of that 30-team NBA, where you play the same teams over and over and over again and see the same things.”
Stevens also touched on the concept of USA players sacrificing their individual pursuits for the greater good, something the Celtics apparently lacked the willingness to do in 2018-19 to their detriment.
“The most important thing you take from it is: When you put that USA jersey on, you got to give up yourself in every which way for the good of the team for the four, six weeks that you’re all together,” he said. “You have to play that way.”
The World Cup will take place between Aug. 31 and Sept. 15 in China, where USA will seek its third consecutive world championship and direct qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Should all six of the Celtics’ international players feature at the World Cup, perhaps they’ll return to Boston ahead of training camp willing to apply those international lessons to their pursuit of success in 2019-20.
