He was thrust into the limelight with the 2022-23 season just days away. He was tasked with building on the work of Ime Udoka, who was suspended and eventually released for breaching organizational policy.
Worst of all, Mazzulla was leading a coaching staff that his predecessor had constructed.
Mazzulla still has one of the toughest jobs in basketball. He has five players that are capable of being primary options on an NBA team. Yet, he’s got them all pulling in the same direction. Everyone on the Boston roster is sacrificing. There’s one goal, which is to win a championship.
Then, there’s the constant media pressure that comes with being in Boston. The city expects success. Nothing other than a championship is celebrated.
Mazzulla is learning to navigate that pressure while also sticking to his preferred offensive and defensive systems. That means the Celtics take a significant amount of threes. In fact, they’re first in attempted threes per game and made threes per game.
Boston currently sits at the top of the Eastern Conference. They have the best record in the league. Mazzulla is winning over his harshest critics. His coaching staff has empowered him to embrace his role as the Celtics head coach.
Nevertheless, questions will continue to be asked of Mazzulla until he guides his team to a championship.
