Celtics' Joe Mazzulla has one clear goal heading into new season

Last season, Jayson Tatum was arguably Boston's best defensive rebounder. With him out due to an Achilles injury, and the primary big man rotation of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford all elsewhere this season, Mazzulla will certainly be hoping some new board-getters emerge within the rotation.

Celtics need rebounds to play at their new pace

Defensive rebounding is essential to controlling the pace of a game. If teams can get two or three shots on multiple offensive possessions, it's hard to get out and flow into your early offensive sequences. 

The more a team dominates on your glass, the easier it becomes to start looking for home run plays — especially on younger, less experienced teams. Mazzulla is a championship-winning head coach. He will have a clear idea of what he wants from his team and how he envisions this iteration of the roster performing. The hard part is coaching everyone up and instilling the grit they need to become a force on the glass.

Interestingly, the Celtics haven't had any problems crashing the offensive boards. So, it's not an issue of rebounding talent, but rather positioning, execution and physicality. All of those things are teachable attributes.

The Celtics aren't expected to compete this season. Making the playoffs would arguably be an overperformance from the franchise. However, that doesn't mean Mazzulla won't demand everybody's very best, especially in the hustle and effort areas. 

Therefore, we should expect him to continue to toy with his lineups and rotations because until he finds some consistent resistance on the glass, the Celtics will be playing off the back foot. If we've learned one thing over the last three years, it's that reactive basketball isn't what Mazzulla strives for from his team.