Celtics Receive High Praise Around NBA For Jeff Van Gundy Hire

The Boston Celtics made an interesting addition at the start of training camp, hiring Jeff Van Gundy on as a senior consultant.

Van Gundy’s arrival is expected to help Boston in a number of ways, with his responsibilities including overseeing all levels of the organization — including the Maine Celtics of the G-League. It felt like a curious hire at first, as the meme-able former commentator hadn’t been on an NBA staff since 2007.

The move is receiving positive reviews from around the league, however.

“I think (he’ll help) in a lot of ways,” New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. “He’s got a lot of experience in the league and he can look at it from a different lens, a broader perspective. I think he’s a great asset to have for your staff. He’s a great asset to have for your front office. Whichever they want to use him, he’ll add a lot to it.”

Thibodeau is familiar with Van Gundy, coaching under him with both the Knicks and Houston Rockets. The 61-year-old is well-respected around the league, with the Celtics receiving a push to hire him from a familiar name.

“It was very simple. (Doc Rivers said), ‘If you don’t hire him, someone else will,'” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. “Doc spoke very highly of him and it was very, like, it’s a no-brainer. So that was it.”

The expectation is that Van Gundy, who has been around the NBA since 1989, will be able to aid the Celtics from top to bottom. He’ll give input to the team, coaching staff and front office, which could aid Mazzulla, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and a number of players who have entered new roles over the past couple of seasons.