NBA insider Jeff Goodman reveals what was the key to the Boston Celtics naming Joe Mazzulla as their interim head coach.
At the start of 2022, absolutely nobody had the Boston Celtics going to the NBA Finals, but head coach Ime Udoka masterminded a spectacular turnaround, and they nearly ended up winning it all. Udoka then got embroiled in a scandal that saw him get suspended for the 2022-23 season, and some wondered if the Celtics might be in trouble without him.
That hasn't been the case at all, as the team currently boasts the best record in the NBA at 18-5 under the stewardship of interim head coach Joe Mazzulla. It has been an incredible start to Mazzulla's career as the man at the helm, as he was announced as Eastern Conference coach of the month for October/November recently by the NBA.
NBA Insider Reveals Why The Celtics Named Joe Mazzulla As Their Interim Head Coach
Mazzulla had been with the Celtics as an assistant since 2019 and was the only coach on Brad Stevens' staff who was retained when Udoka came in. The Celtics clearly thought very highly of him, but the reason they decided to give him the role is because of Jayson Tatum, as per NBA insider Jeff Goodman.
(starts at 4:36 mark):
"Tatum was the key to Mazzulla from the sources I’ve talked to. It was Tatum who basically went to bat for Mazzulla. Then when Tatum goes to bat, it’s a whole lot easier for those other guys to go to bat. Ime was Marcus Smart’s guy, so that was a tough one. We saw some of the comments that Marcus had afterward, and I’m sure he was upset and I think they all liked Ime but when Tatum, your best player, goes to bat for you, everybody kind of falls in line, and then you have success, and now it’s like, ‘You know what? This is working!'"
Getting the star player behind you is the key to success for any coach, and if Goodman is right with this report, then Mazzulla is pretty much a lock to get the full-time job at some point in the future. He has given the Celtics no reason to look elsewhere either with this hot start, and he'll be hoping to go one step further than Udoka.
As for Tatum, he has been excellent under Mazzulla, and Paul Pierce said that he is better than Kevin Durant, which is a bold claim. Tatum also recently spoke on whether he and Jaylen Brown are the best duo in the NBA as they continue to shine for the Celtics.
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