Everyone is focused on the Celtics players that teams are trying to steal away, like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. But another Celtic was on the cusp of being stolen away, as assistant coach Tyler Lashbrook was a finalist for the Trail Blazers' head coaching position. Fortunately for Joe Mazzulla and the Cs, Portland went ahead and hired Micah Nori from the Timberwolves, and it appears Lashbrook will return to Boston, keeping Joe’s staff intact.
Just in: The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Nori -- widely regarded as one of the league's top assistants -- has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2009 and now takes over… pic.twitter.com/j5PDc5KlFF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026
That was the last head job opening, and now that it’s filled, it finally feels safe to say that Lashbrook, Tony Dobbins, Sam Cassell, and Boston’s other assistants have survived another coaching transaction cycle and should be back on the bench for the Celtics next season.
Trail Blazers hire Micah Nori as head coach
This is great news for the Celtics, who have lost an absurd amount of coaching talent in recent years. They had a great regular season, but the disappointment of the playoffs still stings. If anything, Mazzulla and company need to regroup, and now that the hiring cycle is over, they should be able to get back to work as a unit.
With a fresh focus on next season and the whole group back in the building, hopefully they can use last season’s success as a launching point to vault the team to an even higher level with everyone healthy, plenty of internal development, and perhaps some fresh talent coming in the door.
While retaining their talent is a huge step, the Celtics should go one step further and still look to add another talented voice or two. Now that the cycle is over, the Celtics can look around the league and target some veterans who missed out on a head job and may be in line to come aboard as a consultant or lead assistant.
Celtics should look to add a veteran assistant coach
An experienced veteran voice might be a good change of pace, and while this young Celtics staff is obviously talented, an outside perspective may help. They should be able to benefit from a proven champion like Terry Stotts, Frank Vogel, Mike Budenholzer, or Tom Thibodeau being a few dream candidates.
Maybe they can’t get someone with as high a profile as that, but there are plenty of great, proven options out there who could make a big difference. It would also be great to see them bring in a former player for another perspective, perhaps a recent retiree and former Celtics star like Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics certainly don’t need a complete overhaul, or anything like that, but having one more veteran voice in the room could go a long way in creating the best possible coaching staff to help Boston raise another banner.
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