The NBA's Most Underrated Head Coach is the One for the Reigning Champions

Bobby Krivitsky | Oct 11, 2024

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla holds up the trophy as he celebrates after winning the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The NBA recently released their annual survey of the league's general managers -- or whoever they asked to fill it out on their behalf -- gauging their outlook on an array of topics, including who will win the championship this season and who will become MVP.

There was also a bevy of questions about the Association's head coaches.

When asked for their opinion on who the NBA's best bench boss is, Joe Mazzulla's name was nowhere to be found.

It's one thing to say he isn't at the top of that list; it's another to leave him out of the category.

The answers shown include a section for those who also received votes. Again, Mazzulla's name was absent.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The GMs acknowledged his abilities as a motivator, ranking him third in that category based on vote shares. The Celtics' head coach received ten percent of the tallies, tying him with Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers. Erik Spoelstra earned the top spot, with Steve Kerr placing second.

Listing Mazzulla third when it comes to motivating his team but leaving him off the list of the NBA's best bench bosses further illustrates an inability to grasp his impact entirely.

After being in survival mode in his first year at the helm, last season, he infused his mentality into the team, including getting them to relish adverse situations like requiring multiple fourth-quarter road rallies against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. It was essential to their championship ascent.

The league's general managers ranked Mazzulla second when asked to evaluate which head coach runs the best offense. It's a testament to his schematic abilities and placing more of his imprint on his team last season.

A prime example is helping Boston improve at winning on the margins, including instructing his team to attack the offensive glass more frequently, especially from the corners, to generate extra possessions.

"The corner crashes are two-fold: one, it gives us extra possessions, it's momentum plays, and then it also starts our transition defense because guys aren't getting stuck in the corner, and we're not in five on four or five on three early in the shot clock. So, it's a huge part of both our offense and our transition defense," Mazzulla told Boston Celtics on SI last season.

During the NBA Finals, deploying Jrue Holiday in the dunker spot, leaving guards like Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic as the rim protector while the Celtics' star wings, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, came charging downhill, was another tactical adjustment that helped swing the outcome in Boston's favor.

Mazzulla also placed fourth with 17 percent of the vote in the category of which of the league's head coaches has the best defensive schemes, further reflecting his importance as a motivator and tactician.

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"I think Joe is a basketball genius," said Derrick White during the NBA Finals. "So, whatever he says, I'm going to try to do it to my highest capabilities. He just stays consistent. He makes the right calls, and we trust him completely."

"We've been, like, overly prepared and making sure that we know," voiced Jaylen Brown as Boston was on the verge of Banner 18. "Sometimes, it's like, you've got the coaches, they game plan, but they don't always let you know exactly what they are thinking. Like, they tell us everything. Super transparent. And we trusted it. We trust it. I thought that's been great. Joe has been a big reason for that, and he showed himself in these playoffs. He's been coaching his (expletive) off."

It's easy to allow the talent the Celtics boast and the role of the head coach in winning compared to the players to discount what Mazzulla means to the reigning champions.

However, not to say he was the only bench boss who could have guided them to the NBA summit, but they wouldn't have reached the mountaintop without him.

"Yes, we have the talent, and there are other components to it," expressed Al Horford. "Guys are really determined. It's enjoyable to come in and work with each other. We're trying to push each other in different ways. That's the culture that Joe has created for us here and (how) we're going about it."

"I love Joe to death," said Jayson Tatum after Thursday's practice. "I admire the way he's really come into his own. He truly does things his own way. He's not trying to be somebody that he isn't. He cares about all of us individually. He believes in us, and he works with us. It's not like he's talking down on us or anything. We (are) all in a relationship together, and I can respect that."

The Johnston, Rhode Island native has the trust of his team. Whether it's an open-mindedness towards trying new strategies on the court that will afford them more options in the playoffs or reframing the scrutiny that comes with being a star like Tatum, the Celtics completely buy into what Mazzulla's preaching.

So, while there's no NBA head coach less appreciated by the outside world, what Mazzulla means to the organization isn't lost on those inside it.