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Napier Intangibles Impress Celtics Brass
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All posts by Basketball InsidersUpdated5 hours ago on April 27, 2024
“[Winning is] big to me,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens after putting (Shabazz) Napier and five others through a late-morning workout on Monday. “I think guys that win find ways to win.”
Added Stevens: “I’ve always been a big fan of his. [UConn] beat [Stevens’ Butler squad] in the national championship game when he was a freshman. And I was with him for 8 or 10 days in Colorado Springs that summer with USA Basketball. So I’ve spent a lot of time with him and watching him grow up. Obviously, a big-time player who, no matter what, when the lights are the brightest, he’s at his best. Kudos to him for the career that he’s had and it’s pretty incredible when you think about a guy winning two national titles in his four years in college. Big fan of his.”
Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge echoed that often-heard sentiment about Napier: Little in stature, big on intangibles.
“Shabazz is not physically overwhelming, but he has toughness, intelligence, and skill. And he’s got extra savvy,” said Ainge. “So he more than makes up for it. He’s going to make it [in the NBA] is my guess. He’s a good player.”
