WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cleaning out what’s left of the Celtics’ notebook following a three-day trip to the Nation’s Capital.
Big day for the stat guys - After discussing his experience at the White House with the media on the South Lawn, Celtics Assistant General Manager Mike Zarren realized he had forgotten to mention one important detail.
From within the crowd, Zarren shouted back that it was cool to hear President Biden acknowledge the Celtics’ NBA record for points per possession last season—a moment that had him cheering during the ceremony.
“He [Biden] was well prepared. I mean, I saw Mike Zarren, our stat guy, sit up and start cheering when Biden was talking about points per possession,” said Co-owner Steve Pagliuca. “Mike thought that would never happen in his career.”
Points per possession is an analytical metric that simply measures the number of points a team scores per possession. The Celtics averaged 1.22 points per possession last season, the highest mark in league history. Their 122.2 offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) was also a league record.
While Zarren got a rush of excitement, head coach Joe Mazzulla, who is very analytical himself, wasn’t as fired up by the President’s nod.
“I mean, we were also good defensively last year, too,” Mazzulla said with a smile.
It’s true—the Celtics finished second in defensive rating (110.6) in the regular season and were third in the postseason (first among teams that made it to the Conference Finals). So why didn’t Mazzulla remind the President of their defensive prowess?
“It wasn’t the time or the place, I guess,” Mazzulla said.
Welcoming back Oshae Brissett - Although his numbers didn’t jump off the page—averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game over 55 regular-season appearances— Oshae Brissett contributed valuable minutes to the Celtics’ championship run with his energy, effort, rebounding, and readiness when called upon.
Over the offseason, the 26-year-old declined his $2.5 million player option with the Celtics and remains a free agent. Thursday’s White House visit provided a chance to reconnect with Brissett and for the team to present him with his championship ring.
“He’s one of my favorite guys I’ve ever coached. Just his personality, his character, and who he is. He is a great teammate,” Mazzulla said. “It was great to be able to see him and spend time with him. I just hope it works out for him.”
With Brissett receiving his ring, Svi Mykhailiuk is the only player from last year’s squad yet to receive his—he signed a four-year, $15 million deal with the Utah Jazz this offseason. They were the only two players not to return this season. The Celtics host the Jazz on March 10.
“It was great to see Oshae. That’s my guy,” Jaylen Brown said. “Looking forward to seeing him on a team soon, but definitely good to have him a part of that group. That group that we had was special last year, so anytime we get to celebrate each other and what we accomplished, I’m all for it.”
“It was really cool to see Brissy again and have him be here and a part of it,” Derrick White added. “Obviously, he was a big member of our team last year, so it was great to have him here and get the old gang back together.”
Two Rhode Island guys – The Celtics held their gameday shootaround at Georgetown University on Friday morning. Afterward, Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley had the chance to catch up with Rhode Island native Joe Mazzulla and Jayson Tatum.
Before arriving at Georgetown last season, Cooley spent 12 seasons coaching at Providence College, posting a 242-153 record. His tenure included seven trips to the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a Sweet 16 run in 2022.
A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Cooley was key in revitalizing the Friar program. Before he arrived in 2011, Providence had finished under .500 in six of the previous 10 seasons and had made just one NCAA Tournament appearance (in 2004) during that span.
Looking back – It’s been over a year since the Celtics traded Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and two first-round picks—one via the Golden State Warriors—in exchange for Jrue Holiday.
In his lone season with Boston, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, while shooting a career-high 44.4% from beyond the arc. He became just the third player in Celtics history to score over 1,000 points off the bench in a season, joining Ricky Davis (1,121 points in 2004-05) and Kevin McHale, who accomplished the feat twice (1,109 in 1989-90 and 1,031 in 1990-91). Brogdon also earned Sixth Man of the Year honors, becoming the third Celtic to do so after McHale (1984, 1985) and Bill Walton (1986), helping the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
Then came the awkward departure.
Brogdon reportedly grew frustrated with the Celtics’ handling of the elbow injury he played through during the 2023 playoffs. Frustrations were exacerbated by a failed three-team trade involving the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers, which would have sent Brogdon to the Clippers and brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.
Instead, Brogdon was later traded to Portland. After scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against the Celtics on Friday night, Brogdon reflected on the trade.
“Guys get traded every year. I think for teams, a lot of the time, it’s not personal; it’s a business decision. But for players, it is personal,” he said. “You’re uprooting your family at the end of the day. You’re moving to a new city. You’re having to adjust to a situation. But, honestly, it was a good trade for them. We’ll both be good in the long run.”
Brogdon was asked to shed light on the frustrations surrounding his trade from Boston, but he opted not to comment further, saying he preferred to leave it in the past.
“Honestly, I’m not even in a position anymore where I even talk about it,” the 31-year-old said. “I’ve made peace with the situation and have moved on. I’m in a good place now.”
Brogdon was one of the 71 different teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown played with before reaching the top of the NBA world with a championship, and he appeared proud of their growth.
“They’re a very well-rounded team — The way they’re constructed,” Brogdon said. “I think the Jays together, people have always criticized them over the years. They can’t play together. Their games are too similar — they’ve heard it all. I think they’ve come together and figured out how to play well and mesh well on the court on both ends. They’ve embraced the defensive side and learned how to play together on offense. I think they’re great, man. They’re the best duo in the NBA right now. That’s what you see every night.”
Meeting a legend – Three weeks ago, Jaylen Brown took to Twitter/X, sharing his desire to meet Bill Nye the Science Guy — though he couldn’t quite remember what sparked the thought.
“I think I was just up thinking about educational experience, and it just crossed my mind. I was like, Man, I got to meet this guy,” Brown recalled. “His contributions to STEM and STEAM have been amazing. He made learning fun. Growing up, I used to be excited when the teacher would say, ‘We’re watching Bill Nye today.’”
On Friday night, Brown’s wish came true. Nye was in town for the Celtics-Wizards game at Capital One Arena and received arguably the loudest ovation of the night when shown on the video board during a timeout, proudly holding up a custom Wizards jersey.
After the game, Nye and Brown met in the hallway in front of the Celtics’ locker room.
“To be able to shake his hand for helping me in my educational journey was pretty cool,” said Brown. “What an honor. Definitely, really excited to meet him, and it was pretty cool to just shake his hand.”
Nye, the mechanical engineer turned TV star, was equally thrilled, sharing on Instagram that he was “honored” to meet the three-time All-Star.
Sale update – Following the White House celebration, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck gave a brief update on the team’s sale process. He reaffirmed his plan to remain as governor for three more years and mentioned there was “a lot” of interest from potential buyers, but didn’t provide further details.
“It’s underway. There’s a lot of interest,” Grousbeck said. “I would like to limit it to that. But, I would say that the plan is that I will stay for three more years. That’s what’s laid out. We’ll go from there.”
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