J.J. Redick Says Celtics Tried to Add Him to Coaching Staff Before 2022-23 Season

If the Celtics believe they're "small tweaks" from a title, strengthening the coaching staff becomes even more crucial to accomplishing that goal.

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On ESPN's First Take, retired sharpshooter J.J. Redick shared that he met with the Celtics the Sunday before training camp started.

That came on the heels of the organization suspending Ime Udoka for violations of team policies and naming Joe Mazzulla as his replacement.

Redick didn't detail why he declined to join Boston's coaching staff. But he's been very successful in transitioning from his playing career to one in media, including regular appearances on First Take and his The Old Man and The Three podcast.

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At Thursday's end-of-season press conference, Celtics' president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, made it clear Mazzulla will have a chance to build on his first year at the helm.

"He's a terrific leader," stated Stevens. "He'll only get better at anything that he can learn from this year because he's constantly trying to learn. And he's accountable. Those leadership qualities are hard to find. And I know they're easy to talk about. But when you can show all those through the expectations and the microscope that he was under, that's hard to do."

But strengthening the staff supporting him became an even greater need on the heels of multiple reports, first from Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, several assistants Udoka brought on board after becoming the Celtics' head coach will reunite with him in Houston.

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On the importance of adding assistants with head coaching experience, Stevens conveyed the following to Inside The Celtics.

"I think that first of all, Joe's experience now, you could probably measure in dog years. Now he's been in three Eastern Conference Finals and a Finals and now the head coach throughout one of those runs. That's an experience in and of itself.

"I tried to prepare him for what it was gonna feel like after each game, win or lose. And I know how that feels for those guys. And that's one of the reasons why I always talk about how much I respect Jaylen and Jayson because, after every game that doesn't go your way, they're gonna be dissected. And the further you go, the more it is."

The team's president of basketball operations continued, "With head coaching experience, he's got a ton of that, but we're gonna look for, with at least one addition to the bench, and he'll lead this charge, we'll look for somebody that's got a lot of NBA experience for sure."

Two former head coaches Boston reached out to before the 2022-23 campaign began, Frank Vogel and Terry Stotts, have recently accepted jobs, with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reporting the former getting hired as the Suns' bench boss and the latter joining Adrian Griffin's staff with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Stephen Silas, the former Rockets' head coach Udoka is replacing, was at the Auerbach Center at times during the playoffs and showed up to TD Garden. So did Phil Pressey. It seems more likely than not they'll be on Mazzulla's staff next season.

Nate McMillan is another intriguing former head coach who's available. Long-time Sam Cassell is another name to keep an eye on. And if the Celtics could entice Dallas Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley to come to Boston, he'd be a home run hire.

With Stevens expressing his belief the organization is "small tweaks" from Banner 18, something the summer months will reveal whether he was showing his hand or bluffing about, but if it's the former, it puts more weight on the coaching staff's ability to make the strategic changes necessary to vault the Celtics to an NBA title.

Further Reading

Are the Celtics Small Tweaks from a Title? Brad Stevens Thinks So

Brad Stevens Says Celtics View Jaylen Brown as a 'Big Part of Us Moving Forward'

Brad Stevens Discusses Joe Mazzulla's First Year as Celtics' Bench Boss, Strengthening Coaching Staff: 'Joe's Experience Now, You Could Probably Measure In Dog Years'

Celtics' Coaching Staff Reportedly Undergoing Major Shakeup

Celtics' Championship Aspirations Undermined by Identity Crisis

With Partnership at Crossroads, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum Discuss Former's Future with Celtics

Celtics Discuss Trying to Overcome Jayson Tatum's Ankle Injury in Game 7 Loss to Heat: 'A Shell of Myself'

Malcolm Brogdon Explains What Caused Boston Celtics to Miss 2023 NBA Finals

Here's What Stood Out in Game 7 Loss to Heat: Celtics Come Up Small, Enter Offseason of Uncertainty