Celtics Hire Evan Turner As Assistant Coach

See, the Celtics did acquire a Turner after all. After the Celtics were rumored about trading for Myles Turner, Boston had to settle for Evan Turner… as an assistant coach. Boston is bolstering it’s coaching staff and has hired Turner which likely signals the end of his playing career.

Shams Charania was the first to report the news:

10-year NBA veteran Evan Turner is finalizing a deal to join the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Turner is expected to focus on player development.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 30, 2020

Turner, 32, was the second overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2010 NBA Draft. The former Ohio State product never lived up to his high draft status. During his ten-year career in the NBA, Turner averaged 9.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 705 career regular season games (26.9 minutes per game).

Turner will return to Boston where he had a brief stay. During his career, Turner suited up for the Sixers, Pacers, Celtics, Trail Blazers, and Hawks. Turner played in Boston from 2014-2016 and clearly impressed Brad Stevens. Turner’s play in Boston also set himself up for a $70 million pay day he eventually got in Portland.

Turner is most likely going to be thrust into the player development part of the coaching staff. The Celtics do not have a former player on their coaching staff. The rest of the staff includes the following below:

VIA Celtics Blog

Brad Stevens – Played D3 at DePaul University, moving into coaching upon graduating

Jerome Allen – Brief NBA career before moving on to the European league

Brandon Bailey – Played basketball at high school

Jay Larranaga – Highly successful EuroLeague career

Joe Mazzulla – Played D1 at West Virginia

Scott Morrison – Played college basketball in Canada

Jamie Young – No playing experience

Evan Turner Shows Off Throwing Arm; Offers To Be Tom Brady’s Replacement

Time will tell if Turner eventually blossoms into a head coach but it will be interesting to see what transpires from here.