evan turner

Portland Trail Blazers guard Evan Turner (1) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in Denver.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

BOSTON -- Evan Turner's return encouraged Brad Stevens to reflect on all the crazy things the wing used to say during his time with the Boston Celtics. The monotony of a long regular season can force teams to drag, but Turner had a way of lifting up the locker room around him.

"More important than any numbers he put up were that he added to the passion and the work environment," Stevens remembered Friday, one day before Turner's Portland Trail Blazers visited Boston. "That's something you can't take for granted in an 82-game season."

Turner hit a lot of big shots for the Celtics and helped transform the team's defense into a hard-hitting, turnover-forcing windstorm, but also grew on Boston fans partially because of his creative sense of humor. During his time with the Celtics, Turner campaigned for his likeness to be used as the NBA logo, celebrated a triple-double by delivering his postgame press conference in a grill, and regularly wore a chain based on the movie "E.T."

The fun stories keep going, but Stevens shared a heartwarming one Friday. After Turner agreed to sign with the Blazers in July, Stevens received a phone call from the wing's college coach, Thad Matta, who shared the news. Turner says he tried to contact Stevens, too, but the Celtics boarded a plane to visit Al Horford in free agency around the same time. Maybe the phone call failed to connect.

"He says he tried to call me when I was on the plane, but I don't believe him," Stevens said. "You guys believe everything he says, but believe it or not, I don't believe everything he says."

With a laugh, Stevens continued, "No, I love that guy. What's really cool is he texted my 10-year-old (son Brady) - sent him a long text - and said this is why I'm going and it was great to be there and everything else. That sums him up. He has a great heart. He's a great guy. After he did that he didn't have to call me. I'd talk to him later on."

For two years, the Celtics and Turner had a mutually beneficial relationship. He arrived in Boston as a struggling former No. 2 pick who had lost his love for basketball while irritating two different fan bases, but left it as a fan favorite who had proven (again) how many ways he could help a team. While the game shifted more and more toward 3-point shooting, Turner, as hard as he tried, never did develop that skill. That always hindered him, but there was still plenty of value in his versatility, the way he could shift from point guard to small forward on either side of the court. Over two seasons with Boston, he delivered a load of big plays.

"From the git-go he did a lot for us," the coach said. "Not only the offensive end but the defensive end of the floor. Being able to guard all those positions is something that's not easy to do, and to do it exceptionally well, and to be able to start him if you need to start him, or bring him off the bench or whatever the case may be. He had a really good two years here. I hope he looks back on it - and I think he does in all my discussions with him - that he kind of re-found what he was best at, and also just his love of doing what he does, and that's playing basketball and getting better. He's always been a passionate guy about the game. So you knew that he would have a good two years. I think he maximized it."

For Turner, maximizing the two years also meant infusing the Celtics locker room with a jolt of humor. He became a quote machine, the one guy the media could rely on to dish out gems every night. After getting removed from the starting lineup last year, Turner joked Stevens must have been high while making the decision. Asked about his New Year's resolution, Turner said he would like to continue his "27 years without getting arrested" streak, stop lying about whether he had received people's text messages, and become more dependable by checking his email more frequently. Questioned about his miserable outside shooting percentage, Turner replied, "You've got to respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy like that is always lethal."

Turner's tales were always funny, but he regularly exercised his right to artistic liberty. As former teammate Isaiah Thomas laughed Friday, "He'll tell a story. He'll make you believe it, too, even if he's lying."

One of those lies included Stevens. After a comeback win against the Orlando Magic, Turner credited the coach for threatening to withhold food from the players on the postgame airplane ride, as if that tactic spurred the victory. The story quickly spread across the internet because that's how the world works these days, and Stevens even received a phone call from his wife Tracy asking about the threat.

"Not everything was 100 percent true," Stevens smiled, remembering Turner's tales. "But I always laughed."

Despite how much Stevens valued Turner, the Celtics were always likely to move on during free agency this past summer. They have prioritized financial flexibility and never would have felt comfortable handing Turner a contract close to the four-year, $70-million deal he received from Portland. The drastically underpaid Thomas didn't always appreciate the players who signed bigger contracts than his, but felt no jealousy regarding Turner's deal.

"I was happy for him," Thomas said. "We were actually on the plane to go to visit Al, I think, in Atlanta. I was happy for him, man, because a guy like that he deserves it. He's been through a lot with being at the top, going back to the bottom, and just keep pushing. That's the definition of somebody that keeps grinding and is a positive person."

"He was just always positive," Thomas added. "Evan's a good basketball player but he's an even better person. He was always positive. He was somebody that always had something to say. Not said in a bad way but he stayed on everybody and he kind of kept the locker room together. He's a big piece that we miss. He did more than just produce on the basketball court. He was a good guy all around. I talk to him almost every two days so we keep in touch. We definitely miss him around here."