Joe Mazzulla Sheds Light on Motivation for Celtics' Coaching Staff Additions

Joe Mazzulla seems poised for as much growth as anyone on the Celtics this season.

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Unlike when he got thrown in the fire a year ago, making the unexpected leap from sitting behind the bench to becoming the youngest active bench boss in the NBA right before training camp, a more seasoned Joe Mazzulla isn't just more acclimated to being a head coach at basketball's highest level, he also had an opportunity to build out the staff around him in the vision he best sees fit.

The former West Virginia floor general moved quickly to add a fellow point guard, hiring three-time NBA champion Sam Cassell. Mazzulla's staff, now as impressive as any in the Association, also includes new lead assistant Charles Lee.

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The latter, a former equity trader on Wall Street, was a collegiate hoops star at Bucknell, played professionally overseas, and, like the Celtics' latest significant roster addition, Jrue Holiday, the long-time Mike Budenholzer assistant helped the Bucks to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2021.

Adding two of the NBA's top assistants in Cassell and Lee also represents the top threats to Mazzulla's job now being on his staff if this season goes south.

The organization has tremendous confidence in the Rhode Island native, and hiring less talented coaches would've been cowardly. But the reality of the situation, a potential distraction Mazzulla rightfully seems to be ignoring, is what it is.

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Thursday, following practice at the Auerbach Center, Boston's bench boss shed light on his decision to hire Lee and the latter's responsibilities this season.

"His responsibility is to babysit me," quipped Mazzulla. "He's worked for one of the best coaches in the last 20 years of the NBA. He's been an NBA champion. He's had NBA (head-coaching) interviews. And just his humility and his approach to the game is a no-brainer to have on this staff.

"And with the staff, I tried to pick one thing that they're all better than me at so that we can rely on them to empower them and be able to do that. So, I think Charles, his ability to be a little bit happier and positive, it's gonna make me a better person." 

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Mazzulla also shared a change he intends to make now that he's gone from being in survival mode last season to feeling like he can more thoroughly address matters further down his priority list regarding the day-to-day operation.

"I think, initially, it was like when I was an assistant, I really did a good job of being aware of like eight through 15. That was my job, and I was on the court with those guys every day, and you, kind of, have that sweat equity because of my mindset last year. 

"I probably lost the touch with eight through 15 and, kind of, missed and didn't manage some of those relationships as well as I could have, as well as I did as an assistant. And then I think just like being on the court every day, you have a tendency as a head coach, you get stuck in your office sometimes because you're worried about the next game plan or the next thing like that. 

"But getting back to, like, being on the court early and getting your meetings and stuff out of the way so you could be out there. And so, that's another reason (as to) why I feel a little bit more comfortable because that's where I was at my best as an assistant, was being down there with the guys."

From lessons taken from a first season as the Celtics' head coach that included a seven-game chess match against the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra, widely viewed as the NBA's best coach, to filling out his staff with those who will make him and the team better, to understandably feeling calmer and more comfortable in his position at the helm of a title contender, Boston's bench seems poised for as much growth as anyone on the team.

Further Reading

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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

Celtics Excited to Learn from, Play Alongside Jrue Holiday: 'He Understands What It Takes'

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