Phil Pressey's previous career taught him how to rise through the ranks in his new profession. Standing below six feet, to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA, winning with intelligence and preparation was non-negotiable.
That combination allowed the former Missouri Tigers star to excel as an extension of his head coach. It also made it easy to recognize that the former floor general would one day go into coaching.
"I've thought Phil was ready for this from the first time I coached him when he was 21 years old and a rookie point guard for the Boston Celtics," Brad Stevens told Hardwood Houdini over the summer. "He's always really cared about the game. He cares about people. He's got a great work ethic."
Three years after his playing career ended and his coaching career began, Pressey has ascended to his first opportunity in the lead chair, becoming the bench boss of the Maine Celtics.
"Playing for Brad Stevens my rookie year, he laid the foundation for me as a coach," Pressey told Hardwood Houdini the morning of Maine's home opener. "So, now, as I transition to a head coach, I've been able to work with Joe Mazzulla; learn his system, learn his philosophy, and then, like all the coaches I've played for throughout my career, I've been able to implement their teachings into what I do on a daily."
Joe Mazzulla details Phil Pressey's growth
After a season on Dennis Gates' staff at his alma mater, the Celtics' former point guard left Missouri to return to Boston. There, he joined Joe Mazzulla's staff in June of 2023. Friday afternoon, as tip-off at the Expo in Portland, Maine, inched closer, the latter explained how Pressey has grown from then to now.
I asked Joe Mazzulla about Phil Pressey’s growth from when he first joined his coaching staff to now getting his first opportunity as a head coach, ascending to the helm of the Maine Celtics.
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) November 14, 2025
“Naturally developing an identity as a coach. Individually, how you go about building… https://t.co/5UcFoRtY19 pic.twitter.com/z4o0S8Q6og
"Naturally developing an identity as a coach," Mazzulla shared with Hardwood Houdini. "Individually, how you go about building relationships with your players; how you go about communicating. He worked with the defense at times last year, so just getting better at that. He takes his craft very seriously, and he wants to get better at a lot of areas, so it's been fun to watch."
Pressey described his first head coaching opportunity as "monumental" for his growth in his new profession. As one would expect, as he quickly rises through the ranks, his goal appears to be to do this at the NBA level, occupying one of the 30 seats Mazzulla has earned. On Friday, the latter detailed the impact his year as an assistant with the Celtics' G League affiliate had on his rise to become one of the NBA's top bench bosses.
"When you go into organizations like this, you go from Division II for me, where I was like, the second assistant, and I had a lot of role and responsibility," Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini. "And I came to the G League, and I was just another guy, and there's a ton of smarter, better coaches ahead of me, and I got to learn from all of them.
"And just being in a room where you're not the smartest guy humbles you and allows you to learn. And being a part of that really helped me when I became a head coach later on. But I think with an organization like the Celtics, there's so many smart people, you have to learn, you have to listen, you have to grow, because everyone around you is really good."
Pressey's ability to learn from influences like Mazzulla, especially with the premium the organization places on the synergy between the Boston Celtics and their G League affiliate, is another one of the tools that will help him flourish in his new role and whatever comes next.