Stevens On Sullinger's Tardiness: 'Hoping It's A Mole Hill That Doesn't Become A Mountain'
BOSTON (CBS) - Celtics head coach Brad Stevens went on 98.5 The Sport's Hub Gresh & Zolak to discuss the Celtics season with three games left until the All Star Break.
The big news surrounding the C's right now is Jared Sullinger's tardiness. The power forward has showed up late to shootaround twice in the last week. Stevens understands that we all have our days, but acknowledges this can't become a daily routine.
"It's a problem if it becomes a usual thing," Stevens told Gresh & Zo. "The second time is more concerning there is no question about that, but I'm hoping that it's a mole hill that doesn't become a mountain, and that will be up to [Sullinger]."
The Celtics, 18-30 on the year, go into Friday night's game at TD Garden against the Philadelphia 76ers with identical records. Although it may not look pretty on paper, Stevens has found a few things he's liked about his squad ever since the departures of Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green.
"You got all this change and you got to do some things a little bit differently. But also, we have to ask ourselves what can our identity be if we're going to be the very best we can be," Stevens said.
Celtics power forwards Kelly Olynyk and Shavlik Randolph are out nursing injuries, as well as shooting forward Tayshaun Prince. During this time, Stevens has had to find ways to stay competitive with different matchups.
"We've basically been forced into that somewhat and the biggest thing for us is if we're going to play small, we may as well be as skilled as we can out there," Stevens mentioned.
One area that has Stevens impressed with his squad is the team's effort down the wire.
"One thing we've got better at is executing and getting better when games have been on the line in the last three weeks," Stevens said.
Stevens acknowledges the past but he believes it comes down to how you are today.
"It's really about how you've improved and performed today. It's not about what you've done, but what you're becoming," Stevens told Gresh and Zolak.
The Celtics hope to finish the first half of the season on a good note before heading into the All Star Break beginning on February 13th.
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