Jayson Tatum’s thoughts on Joe Mazzulla prove why he’s perfect for this team

When Joe Mazzulla took over as the head coach of the Boston Celtics two years ago, there were a ton of questions. Ime Udoka had just taken the team to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, and they promoted a guy who was behind the bench the previous season. Nobody knew what he would bring to the table.

The first iteration of Mazzulla’s Celtics got bounced by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, and the criticism persisted. But the very next year, he silenced the doubters, delivering Banner 18 to Boston. Since his first season, Mazzulla’s transformation has been incredible to watch, and the players agree.

Jayson Tatum had nothing but praise for his coach.

Mazzulla is perfect for this Celtics group

After Celtics practice on Thursday, Tatum spoke about how much he loves having Mazzulla as a coach, emphasizing the fact that he doesn’t speak down on the players. Instead, he’s standing right beside them at all times.

“Great. I love Joe to death,” Tatum said of his relationship with Mazzulla. “I admire the way that he's really come to his own. He truly does things his own way. He’s not trying to be somebody that he isn’t. He cares about all of us individually. And he believes in us. And like works with us. It’s not like he talks down on us. We’re all in a relationship together, and I respect that.”

Most coaches in the NBA love their players. But coaching styles vary from person to person. A lot of guys fall under the old-school category of a drill sargent. They are bossing their guys around. Screaming, yelling, and demanding.

For some teams, that works. For this Celtics team, that was never going to be ideal. Having personalities that mesh in the locker room is crucial to building a championship team, and Mazzulla fits in perfectly with this group.

Udoka’s hard-nosed style was okay for that iteration of the Celtics. But this one is different.

With Tatum and Brown having so much experience under their belts, Jrue Holiday having won a title before, Al Horford being the vet that he is, and the rest of the squad willing to buy in, this Celtics group needed someone to guide them, not boss them around.

That’s what Mazzulla has done. And from the moment he stepped foot in the coach’s room, Tatum saw the vision.

“I mean, he was an assistant coach with us for like two years,” Tatum said. “Two or three years. And I could tell— He was young, but he was ambitious, he was hungry. I knew that one day he would have the opportunity to be a head coach, and obviously, it happened a lot quicker than we expected.”

Mazzulla’s style is unique, but it’s exactly what this Celtics group needed. They couldn’t have built a better coach for the job.