The Boston Celtics are in the midst of a six-game road trip where they are trying to work through their current struggles. The sudden news of the departure of assistant coach Damon Stoudamire for the head coaching position at Georgia Tech University comes at a poor time for the Cs.
During a crucial stretch of the season, the departure of Stoudamire should cause for concern for Celtics fans.
Damon Stoudamire’s last game with the Celtics is tonight, per source.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 13, 2023
News conference tomorrow to introduce him as Georgia Tech head coach. https://t.co/GRi74pptyz
Stoudamire has been a top assistant for the Celtics this season and has been a crucial part of their staff since he arrived in 2021. After Will Hardy departed for the Jazz and Ime Udoka was let go, Stoudamire became Joe Mazzulla’s top assistant this season. His presence has been important for Mazzulla this season as he is dealing with the challenges of being a first-year head coach for a contender.
Mazzulla has counted on Stoudamire this season, and his presence in the locker room has been effective. Stoudamire connected with the players well, and they respected him. When Mazzulla missed a game this season, Stoudamire stepped in to coach, and the Boston Celtics did not miss a beat. The loss of Stoudamire is going to affect Mazzulla, and it is a cause for concern. Although assistant Ben Sullivan is well respected, losing Stoudamire at this point in the season is tough.
Damon Stoudamire would be a pretty big loss for the Celtics. He's been Joe Mazzulla's lead assistant and Stoudamire led the sideline when Mazzulla had to miss a couple of games earlier this season.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 13, 2023
The loss of Stoudamire is a major concern for the Celtics, and it could impact them for the rest of this season. The Cs continue to lose top coaches on their staff, and it is going to add up at some point. Most teams don’t lose coaches of the caliber of Hardy, Udoka, and Stoudamire and continue to have great success. I worry that Mazzulla is going to be exposed without Stoudamire because he has shown his flaws this season.
Celtics have lost a lot of talent from their staff dating back to the offseason with Ime Udoka’s suspension, Will Hardy’s departure and the imminent exit of Damon Stoudamire. https://t.co/4ty7tr7tfq
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) March 13, 2023
It will be interesting to see how the Celtics maneuver the rest of the way and if Mazzulla is up for the challenge.