What Joe Mazzulla Believes Jeff Van Gundy Will Bring To Celtics

The Celtics added more experience to the coaching staff, and it should prove to help Joe Mazzulla in his second season.

Boston signed former ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy as a senior consultant, and Mazzulla spoke about the addition before Saturday’s practice.

“Awesome,” the Celtics head coach told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. “Any time you get to add like high character, high level, professional people, I think it’s a no brainer and so fortunate enough that he’s here, not just for the coaching staff, but for everybody.”

Mazzulla added: “It’s good to get a guy who hasn’t been here before that can kind of have an unbiased opinion as to where he thinks things are and where they need to go. And so he’s kind of like a fresh set of eyes … he’s looking at it from an unbiased position.”

Celtics fans likely are going back to Van Gundy’s broadcasts and media appearances to dissect what the former head coach has said about Boston. The 61-year-old worked with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum during the 2019 FIBA World Cup, so he does have experience with the team’s stars.

Van Gundy did comment on Boston’s habit of complaining at the referees after it fell out of the 2022 NBA Finals, so there would be an attitude change for a team that has gone all in for a championship.

But Van Gundy’s decades of experience as a coach should prove to be vital for a young Celtics team.