Celtics Newcomer Describes Joe Mazzulla’s Insane ‘Warzone’ Drill

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is famous for his intensity, both on and off the court. That passion results in some insane practices for his players, not to mention the infamous scrimmage he ran between the coaching staff and media members last summer.

For new players like Luka Garza, Mazzulla’s style and methods can come as a shock. Even veterans like Jaylen Brown think he’s a little crazy.

Garza got his first taste of Mazzulla’s madness during training camp, when the coach had them do something called a “warzone” drill.

Garza described the crazy drill during Thursday’s episode of “The Young Man and the Three” podcast.

Luka Garza on the “warzone” drill the Celtics had to do in training camp, where they played almost nonstop, fullcourt 1-on-1:

“Just one of the craziest experiences of my life.”

Please listen to Pritchard and Derrick simulate the bomb and machine gun noises Mazzulla played 😭 pic.twitter.com/JPvF2gQkAI

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 29, 2026

“The training camp warzone drill was just one of the craziest experiences of my life,” Garza said.

Not only did he have to play full court, one-on-one defense against Xavier Tillman for 12 minutes, but he also had to do it with Mazzulla blasting combat sounds of bombs and machine gun fire over the loudspeakers.

“I’m like, what is happening right now? Uh, but yeah, that was pretty insane,” Garza added. Payton Pritchard, Anfernee Simons and Derrick White all agreed, simulating the bomb sounds and gunfire noises.

Mazzulla’s methods are certainly unusual, but they work. The Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the league, ranking third in fewest points allowed per game and above average in defensive rating.

Now that the word is out, maybe other teams will start doing their own version of the drill, although perhaps less extreme.