There was a fairly large element of the unknown for Joe Mazzulla when he was thrust into the role of Boston Celtics interim coach. In what would have been an intimidating situation to anyone, Mazzulla could have entered this season with some timidity. Instead, he’s come out firing.
Mazzulla and the Celtics have started furiously, firing out of the gates with a 22-7 record — the best mark in the NBA. Things have been far from easy for Boston, however. The entire Ime Udoka saga cast a shadow over what was shaking out to be a fun offseason, Robert Williams has yet to play a game after undergoing offseason knee surgery and there have been short stretches where the Celtics have gone cold offensively, unveiling the truth behind their spotty defense.
Those things have been ever present throughout a tremendous run, but Mazzulla has been allowed to lean on a trio of Celtics in particular to steer the ship in the right direction.
“He pointed me out. He basically told me it starts with me,” Jayson Tatum said following the Celtics’ thrilling win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, per team-provided video. “Last game I played like (expletive), and he told me that. Told me the way I play, the rest of the guys are going to follow. And he went down the line, went down to (Jaylen Brown), went down to (Marcus) Smart, said it was our responsibility and that if we want to be champions, if we want to get to that point, it’s a responsibility each and every night, and nobody’s gonna take it easy on us.”
The manner in which Mazzulla challenges the Celtics hasn’t always been popular among fans. In the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, the 34-year-old coach left his starters in the game to try and play through the slump. It didn’t provide an immediate spark, but the message it sent to Boston’s locker room was received loud and clear.
“He doesn’t care about subs; he doesn’t care about shots. All he cares about is effort and playing the right way,” Smart said Tuesday, via MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “If he’s going to give us that much responsibility and respect, you gotta go out there and do what we’re supposed to do.”
Those who stayed up to watch Tuesday night, may have seen the glimpse into Mazzulla’s trust in those three stars.
“Way to respond. Way to respond. Way to respond,” Mazzulla said in the locker room postgame, pointing to Tatum, Brown and Smart in succession. “When you three hold each other accountable and play that way, everyone else feeds off of that. That’s a great job. That’s a hell of a win. To go 4-2 on this tough road trip, that’s big time.”
Having a coach who is willing to call out his young superstars was beneficial for Boston in its run to the NBA Finals last season. It looks as though that hasn’t changed with the move to Mazzulla.
