Joe Mazzulla Praises Celtics’ Depth After Recent Wins
Mazzulla hasn't been shy about leaning on his bench
Throughout the first two months of the season, the Boston Celtics have seen multiple rotation players step up in key moments. Josh Minott, Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez and now Luka Garza have all had key moments where they have begun to defy expectations.
Over the past two games, which included wins against the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers, Gonzalez and Garza have been standout contributors. Gonzalez ended Boston’s win over the Pacers with a career-high in minutes. At the same time, Garza has bounced back from multiple DNP-CDs to make a significant impact on the offensive glass.
During Mazzulla’s postgame news conference following the Dec. 22 win over the Pacers, he praised the strength in depth available to the Celtics.
“That’s part of the depth that we have,” Mazzulla said, via CLNS Media. “I mean, 82 games is a long time—the season’s long. The standard that we have to play at, the effort that we have to play at, is hard, it’s difficult. We need everybody to be able to do it. So, there’s been stretches of the season, you know, where guys have done that for us, and right now it’s Luka (Luka Garza) and Hugo (Hugo González), you know, doing a little bit of that…So, again, any night it could be anyone on the bench, and we just have to keep taking advantage of that, and that’s a credit to those guys. ”
Boston has multiple players fighting for their long-term futures in the NBA. Garza and Minott both joined the franchise after struggling to crack Chris Finch’s rotation with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jordan Walsh has a team option for next season on his rookie-scale contract.
After a summer that saw Brad Stevens part with multiple veteran talents, there are opportunities up and down Mazzulla’s roster. So far, everyone has staked a claim for a longer-term role with the team.
However, until we see how the rotation looks once Jayson Tatum is back from his Achilles tendon injury, it’s hard to project which of Boston’s young talents will stick long term. Nevertheless, they are all proving they deserve an opportunity, which means the front office will face difficult decisions at the Feb. 5 trade deadline and during the offseason.
