Brad Stevens has earned a reputation through his first six seasons in the NBA as an avid experimenter. Whether or not that’s him, it’s what life as Danny Ainge’s coach demanded.
Ainge handed Stevens new rosters three times: to begin his tenure, in the middle of the 2014-15 season, and after the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals — when Stevens had finally set his eight-man rotation. The fourth turnover happened unexpectedly this summer, the most challenging yet.
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Stevens’ reputation rests on his ability to successfully solidify a winning rotation early.