Brad Stevens isn’t going anywhere, much to his delight.
The Celtics announced Wednesday that Stevens signed a contract extension with the organization. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it sounds like the head coach is perfectly content sticking around with Boston for a while.
“I’ll let you guess on the years,” Stevens joked with reporters on a video call Thursday before the Celtics’ 96-90 loss to the Washington Wizards in Boston’s final seeding game before the NBA playoffs inside the Orlando bubble. “One of the things that’s been really important to (my wife), Tracy, and I all the way through was if we were going to do this coaching thing, to try our best to make it as stable as possible without moving too much.
“We’ve been incredibly blessed when you consider 13 years at Butler and finishing up a seventh with the Celtics. I think in coaching you expect it to end at some point by being let go or being fired. It’s kind of the nature of the business. So I’ve never really focused on that. I’ve tried to focus on doing the job as well as I can.”
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Stevens, plucked from the college ranks, was named Boston’s head coach in 2013 after Doc Rivers joined the Los Angeles Clippers. The 43-year-old since has guided the Celtics to six consecutive playoff appearances, including back-to-back Eastern Conference finals appearances in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and is widely considered one of the smartest coaches in the NBA.
Sure, the Celtics have had a few low points. But they’ve easily been surpassed by the high points and the stability that’s been established under Stevens, who faced the unenviable task of returning Boston to prominence as it reshaped its roster in wake of the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett-Ray Allen “Big Three” era.
“I think the support and commitment from ownership and (president of basketball operations) Danny (Ainge) and the front office has been great the whole time through,” Stevens said. “And I’ve felt it every day. I said this a few years ago, last time I signed an extension, (Celtics owner) Wyc (Grousbeck) actually came in the day after we got beat by 30 and said, ‘We’d like you to sign an extension.’ I think that speaks to the ability of everyone in those positions to not ride the roller coaster of emotions that sometimes we all get caught up in in this sporting world.
“Can we do our best, can we give everything we have and be the very best we can be? Can we be committed to growth? That’s all we’re trying to do. Our goals are such that we’d love to compete for championships and do so regularly, and we think the best path to do that is to be very committed to growth.”
Stevens has been committed to his job since arriving on the scene. And now, it appears he’ll continue to lead the Celtics for the foreseeable future.
