National Basketball Association

Boston Celtics: The Leaders

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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May 3, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett (5) gets a hug from head coach Doc Rivers after leaving the game during the fourth quarter in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. The New York Knicks won 88-80. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at the leaders that set the tone for the Boston Celtics in all phases of the game

The Boston Celtics have a long history of some of the best leaders in the history of Basketball. Bill Russell and Larry Bird are the headliners and the newly retired Kevin Garnett did a great job of continuing that tradition. This Celtics team, however, is in a different position. They lack that established veteran leader, that also dominates on the court. Instead, they have youth that has separated themselves, generating one of the most unique sets of leaders in the NBA.

The Celtics have next to no experience outside of the first round of the playoffs, they are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and they have one of the youngest head coaches in the NBA. And yet, it feels as though they have all the leadership they need.

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The Celtics have played with a passion and intensity that is largely a result of how they have come together under that leadership. They have all bought into a system that has allowed them to exceed expectations and they have done this as one of the closest groups of players in the NBA.

The Celtics are not a team that can look to one defacto leader in any situation. They have multiple leaders that set the tone and the example on and off the court and have multiple sources of inspiration when they need a spark.

The Celtics are going to have the highest expectations in the Brad Stevens era and they are going to need these leaders to help them deal with and then reach those expectations.

Mar 26, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Celtics won 102-99. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Thomas

On offense, everything runs through Thomas. He gets them playing at their incredible pace, he instigates the majority of the ball movement and he has been the only go to scorer. On the court, Thomas has been the exact kind of leader that they have needed. Thomas has always pushed himself and played with an incredible intensity as a response to those that have doubted him his entire career.

Thomas has proven that he understands Stevens’ offense better than anyone else on the court. He is the best fit to get hem playing the right way and the Celtics are at their best when Thomas is the instigator.

The Celtics need players that are balanced on the court. They look to attack in multiple ways and versatility has been a key trait they have searched for in players. Offensively, Thomas’ versatility puts his teammates in stronger positions. Thomas has done a great job of finding out how to optimize himself with the players around him, and his ability to adapt has been remarkable.

Thomas is the standard for offensive play on the Celtics and he is who everyone needs to be looking to on that end. They do not have anyone that is even close to having Thomas’ offensive impact, and they are going to need his leadership more than ever with Evan Turner gone.

With two younger players in Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier expected to take on the majority of the ball handling responsibility on the second unit, Thomas should play a big part in getting them ready for that role.

Thomas has embraced Boston and Boston has embraced him. He has proven to be the exact player the Celtics have needed and there is no doubt that he is the offensive leader on the team.

Dec 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2,C) drives to the basket under pressure from Boston Celtics small forward Jae Crowder (99) and power forward Amir Johnson (90) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Jae Crowder

Crowder may not always appear to be the most vocal player, but he is the most important player on the defensive side of the ball. On top of the fact that Crowder matchups up against the best athletes and quite often the best players on the opposing team, he also plays with the intensity that has come to define the Celtics.

The emotion he plays with on defense has been a big part of his game and it is infectious on the Celtics. The pressure he is able to apply on the opponent opens up plenty of opportunities for steals and Crowder brings out the intensity that will lead to capitalizing on those steals.

The Celtics’ strength has been their defense and that has been without a legitimate interior presence. There are very few players in the NBA who has more defensive responsibility than Crowder, and he is always ready for whoever he has to go up against.

These Celtics players have been doubted and have been underdogs for a great portion of their careers and that has inspired an intensity that gives them the aggressiveness they need to flourish.

Crowder is the anchor on defense and he is the one that players need to look to as a standard for what they need to be able to do on defense. For as much offensive versatility that Thomas has, Crowder has just as much defensive versatility, and in many ways that is more important.

The Celtics have a lot more strong defenders around Crowder than Thomas has offensive players, but that in no way diminishes his importance as a leader on this team.

Nov 15, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dives for a rebound in front of Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Smart

Smart is still in the early years of his career, and is no where near the player he needs to be on the offensive end. Smart has a tremendous amount of work to do and a tremendous amount of improvement to make, but there is no doubting the emotional impact he has on his teammates.

There is no one else that does a better job of finding as many ways to help the team win. Smart has had awful struggles shooting the ball, but he has never let that impact the way he plays. Smart plays with unmatched intensity and aggressiveness on both ends of the court, and it is impossible for a teammates to look at him and not elevate their intensity as well.

Smart has become more vocal as a leader, and players already look to him as a leader in the locker room. He is completely unproven in the NBA but he will not allow that to get in his way. Even though Smart has been a borderline disaster on the offensive end, he still has not been a liability on the court. Smart always finds ways to make sure he is a positive presence who never lets his teammates down.

Smart always wins the hustle plays and never lets his opponent out work him. Smart takes the kind of approach that a coach would love to see out of any of his players, and on such a young team, he naturally gravitated to that leadership role.

Smart has a long ways to go but there is still no reason to doubt that he will be a key part of the Celtics’ future plans, and as he gets older his leadership will continue to be more and more important.

Feb 3, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens talks to his players during a break in the action against the Detroit Pistons in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Stevens

Stevens has been and will continue to be the most important person to the Celtics. The biggest reason why things have worked out well so far is because of Stevens’ ability to get everyone to wholeheartedly buy into his system.

The Celtics play with the most intensity in the league but they are never bothered with sideline issues. Everyone on the Celtics appears to have accepted a responsibility to do and take whatever it takes to win, and Stevens is the one that tells them what it takes to win.

Stevens is the one that controls everything and his demeanour on the court is always going to be one of the calming presences. The Celtics never quit and they never let anything phase them, and that is because of Stevens.

Even when he was dealing with every significant player on the team being traded away, Stevens did not flinch. He trusted the head office to do the proper job of rebuilding and he spent his time getting more than anyone should out of his talent.

Stevens discovered what he needed to get out of his players and he made sure to get that out of them from within their abilities. While the Celtics do not have that one player they can look to in any situation, they have a coach that will have a solution to any problem.

Stevens does not need to do anything else to earn respect from his players and getting that from his players has never been a concern. The Celtics have found themselves in such a great position in their rebuild but its hard to imagine them achieving any of this without Stevens.

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