Sam Cassell Discusses What Brought Him Back to Boston and What He'll Bring to the Celtics

The Celtics' strengthening their coaching staff included bringing back a familiar face in Sam Cassell. The three-time champion was on the 2008 title team that raised Banner 17 to the rafters above the TD Garden parquet.

The 15-year NBA floor general knows what it's like to play in Boston, do so with the highest expectations, and thrive under that pressure.

In an interview with Heavy's Steve Bulpett, Cassell conveyed, "I saw how it looked when the Celtics won their last championship. I was a part of that team. And once we get that thing accomplished, it's a beautiful thing to win a championship in Boston. It's awesome to be back in The Bean, especially when you've won there before. I know how passionate the fans are. Boston has passionate fans, man, and they just want to have passionate players."

Since his playing career ended, Cassell's worked closely with Doc Rivers, following him from the Clippers' staff to spending the last three years in Philadelphia.

So, what brings him back to the franchise he last played for?

"Joe (Mazzulla) made this happen," Cassell told Bulpett. "He's watched me work a couple of guys out before and wanted to understand my personality and how I link to players. We have some mutual friends that he contacted, and we just made it work."

While an assistant's primary role is to help carry out the head coach's vision, Mazzulla reaching out to bring Cassell on board is encouraging for the latter, who's not shy about voicing his opinions without losing sight of what job one is, being able to share his perspective with the Celtics' bench boss.

The Florida State alum's worked his way into becoming one of the NBA's top assistants, someone long-deserving of becoming a head coach. One of the most valuable skills allowing him to flourish in his second career is his ability to relate to players and that he's not afraid to be honest with them.

"I'm just very truthful with players," Cassell expressed to Bulpett. "Sometimes they don't like it, but I speak the truth. I speak to the game plan of the head coach, and I tell them what the head coach expects. Sometimes players try to be reluctant to take that, but I think I have a way that I can be 100 percent honest with a player without them taking it personally. And that's a trait that I know I have.

"I'm a great listener to players. I'm a former player, so I understand what they're going through. Like I tell them all the time, I've been each player on a team, from the top guy to the 15th player. I've been all those guys. I understand what those guys are going through mentally."

That relatability between the coaching staff and the players on the team took a significant hit in Boston last season when Damon Stoudamire left to become the head coach of the Georgia Tech men's basketball program.

The Celtics had Aaron Miles, a former star for the Kansas Jayhawks, and Mazzulla, the point guard and captain for the West Virginia Mountaineers when they reached the Final Four in 2010.

But in adding Cassell, Phil Pressey, who played two years for Boston, Amile Jefferson, a good friend and former collegiate teammate of Jayson Tatum's at Duke, and Charles Lee, who played professionally overseas and is another one of the league's top assistants, seemingly destined for a head-coaching job, the Celtics have turned a weakness from 2022-23 into what figures to be a strength that will help their attempt to maximize their potential in the coming campaign, which would mean hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the season's conclusion.

Regarding that prospect, Cassell believes, "We've got a chance. You've got the talent here. You've got to have health and chemistry. They are ready."