Celtics’ Brad Stevens Advised Not to ‘Smokescreen’ Unhappy Malcolm Brogdon

Getty Malcolm Brogdon, Celtics guard

Amid reports that Malcolm Brogdon‘s relationship with the Celtics may be a tad strained after being a failed part of a trade, Brad Stevens is saying the two sides have had multiple discussions and that all is expected to be fine.

It is assumed that the Celts’ head of basketball operations is being honest and transparent with his reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, mainly because Stevens has exhibited no other side to his nature.

And according to league sources, being straight with him will be key to having him on board when training camp opens next week — and the trade of Damian Lillard trade to Milwaukee has made it even more critical that Brogdon be fully invested. The 30-year-old veteran of seven seasons doesn’t hesitate to speak his truths, as when he called out the Celts after their elimination for emphasizing scoring over the defense that had been the lead element in creating their status as championship contenders.

Brogdon’s well-supported honesty has led some in the coaching fraternity to take quiet shots at him, but one executive who has dealt with him paints a far different picture.

“He’s a smart person. He’s not stupid,” the exec told Heavy Sports. “He doesn’t think he’s a superstar, and you saw he was willing to accept a role playing behind Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown without any problem. That’s because he’s never considered himself a star.

“But, yeah, he’s very smart. He gets the league. He understands what’s going on. He’s been in some situations where he was like, ‘I’m not falling for this crap. This is garbage. Why in the world would I play and risk injury and my career for this team that’s not even trying to win?’ He sees through everything. He’s a good guy and he’s smart. But he can be a bad guy if you’re not telling him the truth and you’re trying to pull a smokescreen over him. I like him. I think he’s a good guy.”

Thin ‘Line Between Inquiry & Challenge’

One former coach now in a front office role pointed to insecurity among some bench bosses.

“Sometimes really intelligent guys struggle with parts of the NBA because they tend to ask questions,” he said. “And with coaching, even in the NBA, there’s a certain autocratic element. Malcolm’s the type of dude who’s exceedingly bright and inquisitive, and sometimes that rubs coaches the wrong way. You’d think we’d be beyond that, but we’re not — I should say some are not. The interesting thing is I’ve never heard teammates complain about him.

“He ain’t the first guy who has been sort of mischaracterized because he stands out. He wants to understand things, so he asks questions, and some coaches aren’t used to that or don’t appreciate where that’s coming from. A lot of coaches will take inquiries as implied criticism, so it’s not like players are the only ones who are sensitive, if you get my drift.”

The source added, “The line between inquiry and challenge is a very thin line. For me, the more questions that were asked, the better. I wanted my players to feel empowered, and it also meant that guys were actually trying to understand. But not every coach looks at it that way.

“And, you know, there’s another guy in Boston that’s like that, Jaylen Brown — an exceedingly bright young man. When you just say s*** and it doesn’t click with him, he’s not the type to sit there and say, ‘Cool.’ There’s a lot of guys in the league who will say, ‘Cool,’ to most anything. As long as they get their paycheck and you’re not f***ing with their playing time, they’re cool with most anything. But guys who go to schools like UVA and Cal and actually went to real classes, they’re used to learning. And the way you learn is by asking questions. The process of learning is interaction.”

Marcus Smart Trade Puts More on Brogdon

Several league people who’ve spoken to Heavy over the last few weeks have noted that Brogdon’s importance for the Celtics has only grown since Smart was traded away in the Kristaps Porzingis deal — the same deal that initially had Brogdon going to the Clippers. That and a reported concern with how his elbow injury was handled during the playoffs has created a need for some smoothing of the road.

A front office source went back to the 2016 pre-draft process with Brogdon to make his point: “He walked out of the interview room, and one of our guys said, ‘Well, there goes Senator Brogdon.’ And someone else said, ‘Why you playin’ my man cheap? You mean President Brogdon, don’t you?’

“So what I’m saying is that the one thing that characterizes him more than anything is his intelligence, his intellect. If you appeal to him on that basis, if you appeal to his rationality, then he’ll understand. I have no doubt that Stevens will handle this the right way — and he has to, because Boston needs Brogdon even more than they did last year.”