Erik Spoelstra details how Celtics expedited Joe Mazzulla's growth

Jack Simone | Apr 21, 2024

May 25, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks to his team / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

When Joe Mazzulla took the reins as head coach last year, the Boston Celtics were expected to be a title contender. Fresh off their first NBA Finals appearance in over a decade, Ime Udoka was suspended right before training camp, and Mazzulla was thrust into the lead role.

Under Mazzulla, Boston made it to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the Miami Heat, and there were some bumps along the way. The then-34-year-old's first playoff run was anything but perfect, but it helped him grow.

Now, with two full seasons of experience behind him, Mazzulla’s Celtics are set to play the Heat in the postseason yet again. This time, in the first round.

Ahead of Game 1 on Sunday afternoon, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about how the pressure Mazzulla faced helped him grow.

“Joe is a very thoughtful coach,” Spoelstra said. “He puts a lot of time into it. He was a very good assistant coach, so he was well prepared to go into that. And then, if you go into an organization where there are big expectations, you learn and do things probably five times quicker than maybe other places because you have those playoff experiences and expectations, and that's the best way to learn.”

Similar to Mazzulla, Spoelstra took the reins as head coach of the Heat at a very young age. He got bounced in the first round two years in a row prior to the Big 3 era in Miami. Since then, he’s established himself as one of the top 15 head coaches of all time.

Meanwhile, Mazzulla's Celtics just won 64 games, lapping the rest of the NBA.

Further Reading

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