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Knowing this, Mazzulla has taken a proactive approach to maintaining constant communication with his players — giving them space to feel heard, gauging where their heads are at, and offering whatever support he can to ease the mental strain that the approaching trade deadline creates for anyone caught up in rumors. “I talk to them every day,” Mazzulla said pregame. “Depending on where guys are at, what that conversation looks like. I try to communicate with the guys every day, and whatever needs to be said or had or listened to is what we need to do at that particular time.”
Bobby Manning on Anfernee Simons’ future: The Celtics are obviously going to continue to be up against the second apron as well as the luxury tax into the future here. Is he the right player to use that mid-level exception on that mid-level kind of money on going forward? They obviously need some have some needs in the front court, but if they lose Simons, they'd have a need in the back court as well. And I love his fit here. I love the way he's complimented this team and has been able to step between stardom and a role pretty seamlessly. And again, it's just another pleasant surprise this season that there's been no real drama about that. The decisions have happened pretty naturally. There's been a few spots where you probably could use a little more Simons, a little less Pritchard, vice versa, but they've handled it well. They've balanced it well. all of them feel like they can step back and let the other guy perform if they don't have it on that night. And Joe Mazzulla has just generated great buying among these guys. And I get the sense from Simons that that is the biggest reason that he's been so amicable to his situation here is that Mazzulla has communicated it all well, told him from the start, if you don't defend, it's probably not going to go the way you want it to. Here was upfront about how he was going to challenge him on that end. And Simons has gotten better.
Despite Jayson Tatum’s candid musings about joining a Celtics team that is already sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” Thursday that his star player’s approach hasn’t changed in recent weeks. “The mindset has been relatively consistent (and) where it has been the entire season,” Mazzulla said of Tatum’s approach. “We don’t know yet. It was never a yes, it was never a no. It was, ‘Let’s work as hard as you can, trusting the sports science team, trusting his development, whether it’s in the weight room, on the training table, and then put yourself in the best possible position to be as healthy as you can be, and then reevaluate it.'”
Tatum’s potential second guess isn’t due to any physical issue with the 27-year-old forward, according to Mazzulla. “There’s been zero setback,” Mazzulla said of Tatum. “He’s progressing naturally.”
“I look at disruption as a positive,” Mazzulla said. “He’ll come back and just make us better. I think it’s two things. One, I think as you go through an injury and a process like this, a thousand things are going to come up. And I think one of the greatest things about a guy like Jayson is his openness and his vulnerability and his honesty about where he’s at as a player and a person. So, I think you have to reward that, and those are just natural things. But the second piece is, he knows that if we get him back, we’re just going to be a better team, and there’s just no ifs, ands or buts about that.“
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Though Tatum has made it known he would like to play this season, the Celtics have put no timeline on his return. Following the workout Monday, coach Joe Mazzulla offered little further detail on the star’s rehabilitation, though Mazzulla did acknowledge it was “interesting” that Tatum worked out in front of the media the way he did. He had previously not done much in front of the media. “I don’t know where he’s at,” Mazzulla said Monday evening. “I just trust the strength staff. I trust the sports science staff. I don’t know where he’s at, but I trust those guys, and I know they’re working really hard to put him in position to be successful and just get better every day.”
Garza's modest 7.5 points per game this season don't necessarily jump off the page. Look deeper though, and it's understandable why he's earned the trust of coach Joe Mazzulla. Garza leads the team with 48.9 percent shooting from 3 and a stellar 71.8 true shooting percentage. He never takes bad shots. His 20.6 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is behind only Jaylen Brown on the team. And that box score metric doesn't even begin to capture the hustle plays that he has become known for. "He’s been really good for us," Mazzulla told The Sporting News, pointing to Garza’s shooting, scoring, rebounding, and screening.
Jay King: Joe Mazzulla said he’s “really happy” for Jaylen Brown being named an all-star starter. He said Brown started setting a tone for the organization over the offseason.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla pointed to a controversial play in the final moments of Monday’s 98-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers. “Illegal screen. Illegal screen. Illegal screen,” Mazzulla said, repeatedly emphasizing the play that he believes decided the game. Mazzulla had one response to all questions from the reporters – “Illegal screen,” he kept saying.
During his weekly interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand, the Celtics head coach revealed that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spent some time with his team prior to a Dec. 19 game against the Miami Heat -- and dove into some Xs and Os for Mazzulla's benefit. "He came to a game a couple of weeks ago, and he actually drew up a couple of pre-snap motion plays for us, for me to kind of visualize and see how we could use them as sets," Mazzulla said Tuesday. "But his mind is amazing."
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Detroit has built on last season’s success and has been the No. 1 team in the East for most of the season, despite not making any big-name trades or free-agent signings in several years. The Pistons have thrived as their high draft picks have matured and general manager Trajan Langdon has filled out the roster around them with capable, role-playing veterans. “I believe, right now, he’s one of the frontrunners for Coach of the Year,” Mike Brown said of JB Bickerstaff. “The first people who come to mind are him and (Celtics head coach) Joe Mazzulla. Those two have done something with teams people thought didn’t have a chance, and they’re right there despite missing pieces. “It doesn’t surprise me about what he’s doing in Detroit, because I know how passionate he is, how hard he works, and he’s extremely intelligent.”
Jay King: Joe Mazzulla on the challenge he used on Jaylen Brown's sixth foul: "Really just kind of wanted to hear Billy Kennedy. He does a great job. We were going to do it anyway just to kind of hear him deliver the challenge."