Inside the Boston Celtics’ locker room after their win over the Nets on Wednesday, Joe Mazzulla sent his players off with some parting words before they headed out for the All-Star break, and then asked the room if they had anything to add.
Jayson Tatum, from his corner stall, then stood up and approached Mazzulla with the game ball.
“Congratulations,” Tatum said as he handed him the ball. “Hundredth win tonight.”
Tatum gave his coach a hug as the room showered him with applause. There was reason to celebrate as Mazzulla became the fourth-fastest head coach in the last 70 years to reach 100 career regular-season wins. Only Steve Kerr, Tom Thibodeau and Avery Johnson have hit that mark faster.
“I told the guys, I think it’s something to be proud of, something to be grateful for, and I think it’s a testament to the people you have around you,” Mazzulla said. “I think in a business where individual success is highly talked about on a nightly basis, the box scores and stuff like that, to have a group of people that you can share your success with is important. It really starts with the players and I always tell them, I can’t be who I am if they don’t let me and I appreciate that.
“That’s a gift in coaching. You can always be in a situation where you don’t have empowerment, or you don’t have guys that allow you to be yourself. It’s an important gift that the players give me, and they give it to each other. And I think that’s important for us to continue to grow. So I’m grateful for that.”
Even as he won 57 games in his first season, there was a steep adjustment period for Mazzulla after he was suddenly promoted to the job following Ime Udoka’s suspension and ultimate dismissal. There was no time for him to prepare. For much of his first season, he was learning on the fly, and though the Celtics were still successful, his lack of experience cost them in certain moments.
But the Celtics didn’t lose faith in Mazzulla, who has certainly been more comfortable in his second season on the job. He had more time to prepare last summer. He came to training camp with a plan and a vision for his team’s identity. His style is certainly different. He’s unconventional with his methods. He’s wired in a unique way. He likes to challenge norms, like when he talks about how he wants his team to blow and lose games because it will benefit them in the long term.
He’s a deep thinker who preaches the mental part of the game as much as the X’s and O’s, and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. But his players have accepted and embraced how different their head coach is.
“I mean, everybody’s a little different, right?” Derrick White said. “But I mean, he just does things a little differently. He likes the uncomfortable probably a little bit more than other people like the uncomfortable. But I mean, that’s just the cool thing about him. Like, that’s just the way he’s wired. Yeah, different is a good way to explain him.”
“It’s been great just building that relationship with him on the court and off the court. And great guy, great coach, and I just love playing for him.”
Kristaps Porzingis has a unique perspective of Mazzulla. He was impressed from afar when he was in Washington last season, and his appreciation has grown as one of his players this season.
Naysayers of Mazzulla, Porzingis said, aren’t willing to give the coach his due because of the roster he has. Udoka, with mostly the same group, reached the NBA Finals in his first season while Mazzulla couldn’t. The skepticism of him will continue until a championship is won. But inside the locker room, the players are very happy to have him in charge.
“I think just seeing how people view him maybe from the outside a little bit, I think he’s very underrated,” Porzingis said. “People don’t appreciate who he is and how he coaches because he’s very young, you can always blame it on him and stuff like that. But he’s a very underrated coach. Very underrated and different.
“And yeah, I think people don’t see who he really is and how he coaches and it’s easy to not give him the credit because of the talent we have, no? But he deserves a lot of credit. He does deserve a lot of credit and the rest of the coaching staff also deserves a lot of credit.”
White takes high road
White is not disappointed that he won’t be heading to Indianapolis this weekend as a first-time All-Star after not being selected as an injury replacement.
“Just being in the conversation and hearing all that, that was good enough for me,” White said. “I knew it was probably going to be a long shot. But to be in the conversation was cool. Obviously, it would have been cool to play in the game, but I’m gonna enjoy this time off, spend some time with my family, and try to get ready for the second half. So I’m not too bummed out about it, but it was definitely cool to hear.”
White’s counting stats this season — he entered the break averaging 15.6 points and 4.7 assists per game — don’t jump off the page but the Celtics guard’s All-Star candidacy was built from his overall impact to winning on the league’s best team. He leads the NBA with a plus-430.
Trae Young, whose Hawks are 24-31, and Scottie Barnes, whose Raptors are 19-36, were both selected over White by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who picks All-Star injury replacements. Mazzulla voiced his frustration earlier this week as he reacted to White and Porzingis not being selected.
“Clearly winning is not important, huh? Winning’s not valuable,” Mazzulla said. “How could you not put both of those guys in? Winning’s not the most important in the league.”