The Celtics' brain drain on the bench is getting worse. With Damon Stoudamire leaving to become the new head coach at Georgia Tech, Joe Mazzulla isn't only losing his top assistant. The green head coach will also now be without a highly respected ex-player who's been around the NBA for much longer than he has.
It couldn't come at a worse time.
Stoudamire coached his last game with the Celtics in Houston Monday, which they lost 111-109. The Celtics have dropped four of their last six games, and are in the midst of a second-half stumble.
"He's been around the league a long time," Mazzulla told reporters Monday. "He's seen a lot."
We saw glimpses of Stoudamire's value to the Celtics following their victory at home over the Clippers Dec. 29. As The Athletic's Jay King outlines, Stoudamire answered an array of questions during his 11-minute press conference, including how he can relate to Derrick White's challenge of adjusting to a new team and the nuances of coaching two young All-Stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
In addition, Stoudamire developed a close bond with Marcus Smart, who's in the middle of a brutal stretch. He's shot just 35.4 percent from the field over his last nine games.
Back in October, Smart told the Boston Sports Journal how much of an impact Stoudamire has had on him.
"Just giving me advice. Things that he sees that I probably wouldn't be able to see on the court," said Smart. "Things when he played, little tips here and there to make my life and the game easier for me. Things that he sees, when you've got a guy with his credentials, well respected and knows the game, you kind of tend to listen to him."
Stoudamire is the third high-level Celtics coach to depart within the last year, with Ime Udoka getting suspended and Will Hardy leaving to coach the Jazz.
With Stoudamire gone, the only coach on the Celtics' staff with NBA experience is Aaron Miles, who played just 19 games for the Warriors during the 2005-06 season.
Mazzulla said Monday he doesn't know who will take Stoudamire's place on staff. With less than one month left in the regular season, it's another question the Celtics will have to answer.
