Rather than wallowing in the fact that Joe Mazzulla got outcoached by Nick Nurse in round one after a Coach of the Year-worthy regular season, the Celtics should use this as motivation. Joe is obviously far from perfect, but he didn’t win the award by accident either. Boston has a great head coach, and they don’t need to make rash changes, but he needs to get better, and the organization needs to help him get there.
Part of that should come from adding personnel. When Joe had a loaded and healthy roster that was firing on all cylinders in 2024, we saw him lead them to a title while barely being tested. We know what he’s capable of, and there aren’t many NBA head coaches in their 30s who can say that.
It should be a huge advantage for the Celtics, and it still can be, but he needs help, and it has to go beyond the players. I’ve already lamented all of the talent that this coaching staff has lost in recent years and called for reinforcements on the bench, but that should be more glaring than ever, and things may only get worse.
Just look at what a retread like Mike Brown has done for the Knicks. There are lots of established veteran coaches floating around, and only so many of them are going to land the few available HC jobs around the league.
There are going to be plenty of coaches out of work, and the Celtics need to pounce and add some vets to the bench. We know guys like Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy, Terry Stotts, and others are actively interviewing, and there are more names out there like Mike Budenholzer, Mike D’Antoni, and Frank Vogel, just to name a few.
Joe is going to have a great coaching career, in Boston or elsewhere
Those may not be names that inspire a lot of hope as head coaches, but they are all overqualified to be assistants and could do wonders for a young Joe Mazzulla, who is still learning the ropes despite all of his early success.
Joe is too young, too good, and too successful for his career not to pan out. But if things don’t turn around in Boston, it may happen elsewhere. He’s going to have a great career in this league. All of the tools and potential are there, but he needs to be more adaptable, especially in the playoffs. Other assistants can help with that.
He’s going to learn eventually, but the Celtics don’t have time to live through these growing pains, especially when they keep happening in the playoffs. Another early exit, and he’ll likely be out of a job and will latch on with a young, rebuilding team and quickly reestablish his merit.
But if Brad Stevens and company give him the support he needs, he can figure things out in Boston and hopefully, keep building a legacy as one of the greatest coaches in franchise history.
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