The incredible X-factor that is building Joe Mazzulla into the NBA's best coach

Crazy is the predecessor to greatness. Those who are the best at what they do are often questioned before their excellence is accepted. Whether it be Stephen Curry and the genesis of the three-point shot or Mike D’Antoni’s seven-second offense, those at the forefront of change are never immediately tolerated. That is happening with Joe Mazzulla.

When Mazzulla took over as the interim head coach of the Boston Celtics, he was thrown into a fire nobody could have been prepared for. Ime Udoka had just led the Celtics to their first Finals appearance in over a decade, but his off-court actions forced Boston’s hands, leading to his suspension and eventual dismissal.

Fans were immediately critical of Mazzulla, and he was critical of himself. After the season, Mazzulla admitted that he leaned on his players for a lot of the year. He went from a behind-the-bench assistant to the head coach, after all.

After Boston’s brutal Eastern Conference finals loss to the Miami Heat, some fans wanted Mazzulla fired. But the Celtics stood by him. And since then, he’s come into his own.

The very next year, Mazzulla broke out of his shell. He was no longer just the replacement coach—he was the leader of one of the best organizations in sports. And he was ready to be unabashedly himself.

Throughout the year, Mazzulla began dropping insane quotes. Anyone who didn’t pay attention to day-to-day Celtics coverage would be flabbergasted by what he was saying. His uniqueness quickly became endearing to the fanbase. But it wasn’t new.

During his very first year, Mazzulla was doing the same quirky, insane things that made him so popular last year. He somersaulted in front of Marcus Smart. He said, “It’s win or die,” about a Celtics playoff game. He was enjoying ridiculously intense jiu-jitsu sessions. All of this was happening before Boston’s loss to Miami that year. Fans were simply too caught up in the team’s lack of consistency to notice.

Since then, he’s connected basketball to killer whales. He’s used Micah Parsons for inspiration. He tore his meniscus while effectively punishing himself for losing to the Atlanta Hawks twice in a row… and then coached the rest of the season on it. He jumped out of a Duckboat during Boston’s championship parade and began pumping up the crowd.

There is no limit to what Mazzulla would do for the Celtics. It's his X-factor. And it's exactly why he’s on track to be the best coach in the NBA.

Psycho Joe has a one-way ticket to the top of the rankings

Some coaches are elite at the Xs and Os. Look at Erik Spoelstra. He’s widely regarded as the best coach in the NBA, and deservedly so. What he’s done with some middling Heat rosters is incredible. But not every coach has to fall under that distinction.

Mazzulla certainly knows about the Xs and Os. Boston was one of the best ATO teams last year. But where he thrives is in a place where no other coach touches—his undying desire to make everything about basketball.

No matter where he does, no matter what he’s doing, and no matter who is around him, he’s always thinking of ways to make the Celtics better. He’s thinking of and implementing things that nobody has even considered.

“I can’t even explain it to you what everything is,” Hauser told Jay King of The Athletic. “It’s hard to put into words some of the stuff that he comes up with. … Some of it has to do with offensive spacing. Some of it has to do with defensive stuff. So there’s no rhyme or reason. There’s a method to the madness I guess.”

At times, Mazzulla’s greatness has been belittled because of the talent on Boston’s roster. But that’s unfair to him. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown remained steadfast last season, but he was tasked with ingraining two new stars into the mix—Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

Their personalities helped, but there have been plenty of examples wherestar-studded rosters haven’t worked. Mazzulla’s help in making it happen cannot be understated.

There are no other coaches in the NBA who are doing what Mazzulla is doing. There aren’t even any players taking it to his level. The closest thing the NBA has seen to his tactics was Kobe Bryant’s overly-intense work ethic.

It’s what greatness looks like.

If Mazzulla continues to lead the Celtics in the way he has, he will soon be regarded as the best coach in the NBA. And it’s very well-deserved.