Joe Mazzulla has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with the Boston Celtics. Mazzulla is entering his fourth season with the franchise and led them to a championship in 2024.
Since taking the Celtics’ hot seat in 2022, following Ime Udoka’s suspension for breach of team policy and ultimate release from the franchise, Mazzulla has implemented a well-defined brand of basketball. The Celtics do most of their damage on the perimeter, run actions to create favorable mismatches on isolations and play a suffocating brand of switch-heavy defense.
In the 246 regular-season games Mazzulla has coached for Boston, he’s won 182 of them, losing 64, giving him a win ratio of 74%. He’s also got a winning record in the playoffs, guiding the Celtics to a 33-17 record over three seasons.
Mazzulla has proven himself to be one of the best young coaches in the NBA. He brings fresh ideas on how to keep players engaged and motivated, and has cultivated a strong team spirit within Boston’s locker room. Furthermore, he’s handled the pressure of leading a contending team in one of the most high-pressure markets the NBA has to offer.
Celtics’ Mazzulla Faces a New Kind of Test
Throughout his tenure thus far, Mazzulla has always guided a highly competitive roster full of elite talent. However, as he prepares for the 2025-26 season, things are going to be different, as the Celtics enter a retooling phase.
This summer, the Celtics have waved goodbye to Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet and potentially Al Horford. The talent drain has left Boston looking like a shell of the team that dominated the NBA in recent years. However, Mazzulla does have some encouraging young talent to work with, including Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Anfernee Simons.
So, rather than chasing a championship or pushing for top seeding in the Eastern Conference, Mazulla’s new remit will be talent development. After all, as a rebuilding roster, Boston must develop the talent at its disposal to either become part of the long-term rotation or have a significantly improved trade value.
Celtics Could Miss The Playoffs
According to John Schuhmann of NBA.com, the Celtics could finish as low as 12th in the East next season.
“What talent remains in Boston is all on the perimeter,” Schuhmann wrote. “As things stand, their bigs are Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Xavier Tillman…That group is going to struggle matching up with the frontlines of the top six teams in these rankings.”
Schuhmann continued.
“The Celtics could set another record for 3-point rate, creating high variance from game to game and quarter to quarter. But the quality of those looks will certainly go down without Jayson Tatum’s creation and with opposing defenses able to help off of pieces of the rotation more than they could in years past.”
Mazzulla will face a new type of test. Yet, judging by his new contract extension, the Celtics front office has nothing but confidence in his ability to succeed, regardless of the situation.
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