Before every practice, as players warm up and linger around the court, Joe Mazzulla makes a point to greet each one individually. He offers a dap-up and engages in a brief conversation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about basketball, but rather a check-in—what they’re thinking and how they are feeling. Sometimes, it’s confrontation, sometimes criticism, and sometimes even just a quick hug.
It’s a bit of everything, but most importantly, it’s about communication. This routine builds relationships, something Mazzulla deeply values and the team greatly appreciates.
“One thing where I truly do appreciate Joe, aside from being an excellent coach, is that I truly do believe that he cares about us, our team as individuals, obviously myself, and the conversations that we have,” Jayson Tatum said.
“He always, through the season, the summertime, obviously through this postseason, has had days where he’s called me, called me into his office. Not necessarily talk about X’s and O’s, but check on me as a person, and how I’m dealing with everything. That does mean a lot for somebody to take time out of his day to show that compassion or whatever. Just know that he’s there for me. That relationship between yourself and a coach is important. That’s something I truly value about the relationship that me and Joe have.”
Mazzulla is one hell of a coach, evidenced by his 147-54 (.731) record in just two seasons. The 35-year-old is on the brink of joining Bill Russell as the youngest head coach to win an NBA championship.
“I think Joe is a basketball genius. So whatever he says, I’m going to try to just do it to my highest capabilities,” Derrick White said. “He just stays consistent. He makes the right calls, and we trust him completely.”
“The coaching staff has been fantastic all season long,” Jaylen Brown added. “I’ve been saying that throughout the regular season, even before we got to the playoffs. It’s been just super organized. We’ve walked through all different types of scenarios.
“We’ve been, like, overly prepared and making sure that we know. Sometimes, it’s like you’ve got the coaches; they game plan, but they don’t always let you know exactly what they are thinking. Like, they tell us everything. Super transparent. And we trusted it. We trust it. I thought that’s been great. Joe has been a big reason for that, and he showed himself in these playoffs. He’s been coaching his ass off.”
But perhaps even more impressive than his coaching on the court has been his ability to shift the culture.
For years, the Celtics have been their own worst enemy, plagued by lapses in focus and energy, playing down to lesser opponents and making things more complicated than necessary. It was pure self-destruction.
However, after an offseason to prepare and build out his own staff, Mazzulla has changed the direction of the Celtics by rerouting the culture.
“I believe it’s just our approach,” Al Horford said when asked about what makes this team different than years past. “The consistency that we have in our guys, from Jayson Tatum to JD Davison to Jordan Walsh from top to bottom, is just the willingness of the guys coming in and being consistent. Every day, consistent.
“Putting in the work, doing things even when we’re tired, even if we don’t want to. There has been a level of consistency all year with this team that’s been very special to see. Yes, we have the talent, and there are other components to it. Guys are really determined, it’s enjoyable to come in and work with each other. We’re trying to push each other in different ways. That’s the culture that Joe has created for us here, and we’re going about it.”
Horford has seen a lot of basketball in his 17 professional seasons, having played under eight different head coaches. Yet, the “approach” he identifies as the big difference-maker is evident even to the younger players on the roster.
“Joe is definitely different, man. I love his approach,” Jaden Springer said. “He’s really good at getting the players involved, getting the players locked into the system, the schemes. I’ve never seen a coach like him. He makes you want to go out there and play your hardest. It’s crazy being around a guy like that.”
He gets that message across in a unique way, drawing parallels from soccer, UFC, jiu-jitsu, sandcastles, and, yes, even killer whales.
“He definitely looks at it from different perspectives, bringing in different forms – if it’s jiu-jitsu, or if it’s soccer, MMA, he brings so many things into perspective, or into basketball that you wouldn’t think would relate, but really do,” Jrue Holiday said.
Throughout the season, he would bring in a special forces amputee named Nick to address the team, providing inspiration and a different perspective.
“His conversations were just so mind-blowing,” Xavier Tillman said on the conversations with Nick.
“It was so cool to get your mind off basketball and still find a way to wrap it all together in terms of the compassion that you need to have and the gratefulness that you need to have — just the opportunities to play and the love and appreciation you need to have for your brothers on the court.”
Mazzulla’s emphasis on perspective and his ability to connect with his players has led to a transformative shift in the Celtics’ culture that will forever be woven into the soon-to-come Banner 18.
“I think he has a unique relationship with everybody,” Sam Hauser said. “I think he’s good at finding one or two things to talk about with each guy on a daily basis, and that’s just to keep humanity in this professional world. He’s a great human. He really truly cares about you as a person first more so than as a player, which is awesome.”
“We have good conversation,” Oshae Brissett said. “I really respect him, and I feel that respect both ways. Basketball aside, he’s a great dude. And we talk about a whole bunch of other stuff. I think that relationship is only gonna get better.”
The Celtics aren’t in this spot without Mazzulla. His emphasis on “mindset” and winning the day has helped the Celtics avoid complacency, remaining focused night in and night out throughout the entire season.
“He deserves a lot of credit for it,” said Hauser. “He constantly keeps us in check and tries to keep us right where we need to be, not too high, not too low, but right in the sweet spot. He’s done a great job of that this year.”
It takes a special character to alter the culture of such a historic franchise, especially given the extraordinary talent on the roster.
“Joe has been great. Just being in this position last year, just being in the interim role was tough,” Brown said. Even though we weren’t making any excuses, but him inheriting that position, it was a little bit more of uncertainty about what we were doing going forward. It wasn’t necessarily his staff.”
“Now I feel like he’s gotten his feet under him a little bit more, even at the start of this year. He’s been excellent. He’s been organized. He seems to be a lot more comfortable, and it’s shown in our team. Joe’s mentality is fantastic. Even today, one of my favorite quotes he said today, he was like, there’s no such thing as a foul (in a war). Either you survive, or you don’t. Just that resonates with me because I like stuff like that.”
Such an impact demands earning the trust and respect of the locker room through genuine relationships, something Mazzulla has excelled at.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” Springer said. “He’s a guy that I definitely would want to go to war with. He’s definitely for his players. He lets his players like have a say, but at the same time, he doesn’t go for nothing like he’s gonna let you know what it is and how it’s gonna be.”
The Celtics are in excellent hands with Mazzulla. At just 35 years old, he is poised to lead the team for many years to come, and Celtics fans have much to be grateful for.
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