Joe Mazzulla Sheds Light on Celtics' Plans for Preseason Opener

The Celtics taking advantage of their flexibility is crucial to whether this season culminates with them lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

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Sunday night at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics will host their first preseason game of the 2023-24 campaign.

After their bitter defeat against the Miami Heat on that same parquet in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals ended their hopes of capturing Banner 18 last season, there's considerable cause for optimism about them reaching the NBA's summit this time around.

They've reshaped their roster's core, adding Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, moves that should help what's plagued them most in the playoffs in recent years. Joe Mazzulla is more comfortable entering his second season at the helm and seems poised for meaningful growth. And Boston's loaded up its coaching staff, flanking its bench boss with two of the NBA's top assistants, Sam Cassell and Charles Lee.

It will also be the first time Jayson Tatum, who turns 26 in March, and Jaylen Brown will play together in their primes.

But the Celtics' focus isn't on what's at the end of the journey; it's on maximizing each day in front of them to give themselves their best chance of lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Boston's preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers is the team's first chance to apply the carpe diem mantra it's echoing against an opponent.

On the heels of Saturday's practice at the Auerbach Center, Mazzulla shed light on the plans for how the Celtics will handle that matchup, the first of three in four days, an unusual setup for the preseason.

Asked how he feels about that scheduling, the Rhode Island native replied, "To me, it gives you an opportunity to, we're gonna have 15, 20 of those or something like that during the season. So, if you('ve) got to go through one now, I think it's a good opportunity to work on stuff, be flexible, have guys available, not available, that'll happen, so, whatever they give us, we'll do."

Boston's second-year bench boss said he intends to go light on minutes for most of his players, but he wants to "get the guys out there in game 1."

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Mazzulla told Inside The Celtics, "I expect everyone to be active." As a follow-up, this author asked whether that means Holiday and Porzingis are available for Boston's preseason opener, which he confirmed.

To state it explicitly, being available and actually playing on Sunday are two different realities. But it's at least possible that both apply to at least one of Holiday and Porzingis in Boston's first exhibition game of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Celtics second-year bench boss, who stresses not to read into Sunday's starting lineup, also emphasized the need for the Celtics to take advantage of their flexibility.

"We have 8 (or) 9 starters. And one of the things I thought (was) a strength of our team last year was when guys were out, like, I remember the game at Toronto, we had three or four guys out, and we won. And then at Milwaukee, we lost at the buzzer with four guys out.

"And so the season breeds challenges and opportunities, and we have a lot of good players, and whether I start one (in) one game or not one game, I think we just have to be ready for that and just know each decision makes the most sense for us to win."

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Regarding whether the emphasis on flexibility with their starting lineup applies equally to their closing lineup or if that gets weighted differently, Mazzulla conveyed the following to Inside The Celtics.

"Well, I think it does. I think that's an area, right? Matchups, second night of back-to-backs, are we winning or are we losing? Do we need a certain lineup out there because we have to score at the end of the game, or do we need a lineup out there because we have to just get stops at the end of the game, and our offense will take care of itself? And I think the one thing we learned is, you can't just have a fastball, and I think some of the lineups we can throw out there at certain times will give us curveballs that we need when it matters most."

The effectiveness of those curveballs will prove crucial to whether this season ends with Boston crowned champions.

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum Reacts to Damian Lillard Joining Bucks, Discusses Celtics' Urgency to Win Now

Sensing Celtics' Excitement, Intensity, Paul Pierce Believes Jrue Holiday's 'The Missing Piece'

Celtics seek long-term marriage with Jrue Holiday

From Envisioning Being a Buck for Life to Joining Top Rival, Jrue Holiday's Ready to Help Celtics Get Where He's Already Been

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Determined to Deliver Banner 18, Jayson Tatum's 'Looking Forward to Doing More, And So Should Everybody Else"

Kristaps Porzingis Says His Foot's 'Perfectly Fine' and He's Ready for Training Camp

Candace Parker on Celtics Trading Marcus Smart, Maximizing Tatum-Brown Tandem, Pat Summitt, and the Sports Matter Initiative

Here's What to Know About Celtics' 2023-24 Schedule

Dwyane Wade Discusses Jayson Tatum's Next Step, Him and Jaylen Brown's Challenge, Heat Culture, Pat Riley, Damian Lillard, and Life After Basketball

Why Celtics Should Enter 2023-24 Season Optimistic About Most Important Area of Improvement