Brad Stevens called the loss of big Daniel Theis “very difficult”

The Celtics’ trading deadline moves are requiring Brad Stevens to make some changes to his rotation.

The biggest change the Celtics coach will have to make is replacing Daniel Theis in the starting lineup. Boston sent Theis, who started as a striker or center for most of the season, to Chicago on Thursday. Stevens told Celtics radio announcer Sean Grande that he was caught “completely off guard” by Theis exchange, which was reported minutes after the deadline, expressing that he will lose Theis’ defense and more.

“I think obviously, losing Daniel was very difficult,” Stevens told reporters ahead of Friday’s game against Bucks. “I think Daniel has been one of our best defenders in recent years in a team that has really been fighting to defend itself.

“We are going to have to have other people getting ready. It is time for everyone to do their best in this aspect, and I think that is the number one of this team; when you lose a communicator like that, a guy who can direct his defense from the bottom line, and a guy who will play hard in every possession, this will be something we will have to compensate for. So this is not insignificant. “

Still, the Celtics will have to move on and now third-year player Robert Williams will start at the center, making only his fourth career start in Friday’s game against the Bucks. Williams has made a noticeable improvement in the past few weeks, seeing a steady increase in his playing time. In March, Williams has an average of 10.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game coming off the bench.

Stevens said he has been encouraged by Williams’ game lately, saying he is “a critical part of our team now and a critical part of our team for the future”.

“I think this is very important to him,” said Stevens. “I think he took a lot of steps, he did a lot of good things and he can fill out a sheet of statistics. I think there are things that he will only continue to improve and his best days are yet to come, as far as the glimpses he gives. But these glimpses have become much more consistent and their effort has been incredible. He’s a competitive guy. Therefore, he will obviously have many opportunities here. He always felt more comfortable getting off the bench, so he’ll have to adjust this here. “

While Williams is the team’s starting center at the moment, Stevens has not pledged to be the starter for the rest of the season. Tristan Thompson, who started at the center in 31 of the 35 games he played this season, is currently out due to the COVID protocol. The Celtics are also reportedly interested in veteran Andre Drummond, who was bought by the Cavaliers on Friday.

With Thursday’s subtractions, there were some additions. In exchange for Theis, the Celtics received the big shots Moe Wagner and Luke Kornet. His biggest addition, however, was guard Evan Fournier, who came from Magic. Unlike Wagner and Kornet, Fournier was not available to play Friday’s game because he was doing a physical exam in Boston earlier in the day.

Fournier is expected to play a much bigger role in the rotation of the Celtics than Wagner and Kornet, and Stevens hopes that Fournier can acclimatize quickly.

“He is going to be played there and we are going to ask him to try to learn on the spot,” said Stevens. “He is 28 years old, has played in the league for a long time. He will be able to watch our manual. Just like Moe and Luke. They will be able to learn very quickly. We will try to maintain a basic set of actions that we perform when these guys are in, and we will increase as time goes by ”.

Fournier could make his Celtics debut on Saturday when he faces Thunder.