As Joe Mazzulla began his second season as head coach of the Boston Celtics, he realized he had some lessons to learn. When Mazzulla was appointed head coach of the prestigious NBA franchise, he was only 34 years old and the youngest coach in the league. He was given this responsibility with little notice after the suspension of Ime Udoka, just five days before the Celtics’ training camp began.
As the newly appointed head coach settled into his new role, some things he did well as an assistant hit the back burner – most notably his relationship with the “Bus One Boys.”
Sure. While serving as an assistant, Mazzulla tackled meetings, film sessions, and all the assorted tasks that accompany the role of a professional coach. However, the scale of responsibility didn’t compare to the demands of being the head coach. In a league where star talent reigns supreme and rotation players take precedence, Mazzulla felt he was too caught up in the preparatory work, leading to a disconnect with the players on the end of his bench.
“I probably lost touch with eight through 15 and, kind of, missed and didn’t manage some of those relationships as well as I could have, as well as I did as an assistant,” Mazzulla shared during training camp.
“And then I think just like being on the court every day, you have a tendency as a head coach, you get stuck in your office sometimes because you’re worried about the next game plan or the next thing like that. But getting back to, like, being on the court early and getting your meetings and stuff out of the way so you could be out there. And so, that’s another reason I feel a little bit more comfortable because that’s where I was at my best as an assistant, was being down there with the guys,” the bench boss added.
This season, Mazzulla has been actively fostering connections and making it a point to coach every player, instilling a sense of trust and confidence in each individual. Staying true to his commitment, the second-year coach has ensured that his attention extends inclusively to his “Stay-Ready Group.”
In one instance, the Celtics dominated the Wizards in the third game of the season, but Boston’s bench struggled in the 4th quarter. The C’s reserves were out-scored 32-18 by mostly reserves for Washington in the fourth quarter and totaled nine turnovers in the final frame. After the game, coach Mazzulla held a film session exclusively for the reserves to review their performance and identify areas of improvement.
“Coach Joe, he’s always pushing us. He’s there in the Stay-Ready Group,” Dalano Banton told WEEI.com.
“He’s there with us, with the Stay-Ready Group. So we never feel like we’re out of it. We never feel like we’re off. We always feel engaged with the group. We feel like we’re just as important as the first five, and everyone feels like that from top to bottom throughout the organization. That helps keep the feel going,” the reserve guard added.
The responsibilities shouldered by the “Stay-Ready Group” members are among the most arduous in the league – especially on a team as talented as the Celtics.
It’s not easy to stay physically and mentally prepared when you don’t know when your opportunity may come. However, that is the expectation of this group – to be prepared for action whenever their number is called, and Mazzulla goes a long way in helping them handle this responsibility.
“Just the way he takes his time to communicate with his players, I feel like, goes a long way. Like I said, we have a “Stay-Ready Group” with guys who aren’t always in the rotation and who aren’t always getting the most minutes. And he always, not only finds ways but makes sure, makes it his duty to make sure that we feel involved,” Banton said. “Make sure that we’re not just drifting off. Make sure that we don’t feel like we’re flying under the radar, and know that we are a very important part of this group and to our success.”
When establishing the foundation for his team’s identity earlier this season, Mazzulla emphasized five core principles – Humility, mindset, toughness, passion, and, most importantly, togetherness.
With a team as talented as the Celtics, the last word, ‘togetherness,’ holds the utmost importance – an area where the 2023-24 Celtics have genuinely excelled.
“Everyone is so together from top to bottom. It’s just great, man. Everyone’s just such good vibes,” Banton said with a smile. “We feel like that’s helping us turn in the right direction, and we’re just trying to build on what we have and what we know we can accomplish. It’s so family-oriented. Everybody is so together. I feel like everybody is on the same page. Everyone knows what they need to do in order for us to be successful. That’s what’s been great for us from day one.”
When the Celtics over-hauled their roster this season, it signaled a culture shift – and Mazzulla was determined to leave his mark on one of the most storied franchises in sports.
“For me personally, one of my most important goals this offseason was to just kind of enhance, not necessarily change, more enhance it [the culture],” Mazzulla said in training camp. “It’s the Celtics, and there’s ultimate alignment from top to bottom, from ownership to front office to staff to players to [the] people that work here.”
From applying his new philosophies to reinstalling the ones that helped Boston raise a banner in 2008, Mazzulla is leaving his mark on the team’s culture, resulting in nothing but success as we near the mid-way point of the season.
Frequently, when assessing a coach, fans tend to focus excessively on the Xs and Os. Yet, it’s essential to acknowledge the challenges of steering a team laden with star talent, lofty expectations, and the relentless pursuit of championship success.
It seems that everyone, from top to bottom, has embraced Mazzulla’s message: Success is something earned every day, and to achieve levels of success not seen in Boston basketball since 2008, they must maintain this daily mindset consistently.
“If we continue to do the things that we know we can do and live by the things that we preach to each other and try to push throughout our culture, I feel like the sky is the limit for us,” Banton said.
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