The Celtics have the reigning Coach of the Year in Joe Mazzulla, and somehow, the team was able to keep pretty much his entire staff intact. Still, with so many promising young coaches and the way the staff came up short in the playoffs, it would be great to add a proven veteran with head coaching chops to the bench.
An outside voice and someone with experience could help a lot, especially with adjustments in a playoff setting. But so far, the Celtics have sat idle while strong options keep going off the board. This kind of addition can be helpful and shouldn’t be seen as any kind of threat to the head coach.
It can create an even more collaborative environment that can prove helpful. Just look at some of the most successful franchises in the league. On one end of the spectrum, we see a young breakthrough coach who came up short in the biggest moments in Mitch Johnson in the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs went out and added Billy Donovan as a lead assistant, who can help guide Johnson and get the team over the hump.
Then you’ve got the other side of the coin with Steve Kerr, one of the most established coaches in the league, who has won four titles in the lead role and seen just about anything the league has to offer. And yet, the Warriors still felt compelled to go out and add Frank Vogel to Kerr’s bench for extra support.
The Celtics should add a veteran assistant to Mazzulla's staff
From the most accomplished to the rawest coaches in the league, adding an established veteran voice can be super helpful. Hopefully, the Celtics are thinking the same way and looking to make another addition to an already elite staff. Donovan and Vogel are two names that would have been perfect, but there are plenty of other options for the team to reach out to.
I’d love someone like Tom Thibodeau, Mike Budenholzer, Terry Stotts, or someone in that mold. Long-time lead men who have worked at every level and had a lot of success. Whether those guys would be open to an assistant job on the Boston bench isn’t known, but it can’t hurt to reach out.
Again, this shouldn’t be taken as a slight to Mazzulla and his staff; the idea is just to enhance the group. Joe isn’t on the hot seat or anything like that, and there shouldn’t be any perceived pressure from adding a well-respected vet. The staff is great, but the team should explore every possible avenue to make it as strong as possible.
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