Joe Mazzulla reportedly has ‘every opportunity’ to ‘shed’ interim tag and become Celtics’ full-time coach

Mazzulla is the first Celtics coach to begin a season 2-0 since Doc Rivers in 2009-10.

Joe Mazzulla seems to have many fans in the Celtics' organization, including Jayson Tatum. AP Photo/Marta Lavandier

October 22, 2022

3 minutes to read

Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla is off to a good start in his young career.

The 34-year-old won his second game as Celtics coach Friday, beating the Heat 111-104 on Friday night. Friday’s win in the Eastern Conference finals rematch came three days after the Celtics defeated another Eastern Conference contender, the Philadelphia 76ers, on opening.

With Mazzulla being the first Celtics coach to begin a season 2-0 since Doc Rivers did it in 2009-10, there’s a possibility that he could end up being the coach in Boston for the long haul, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

“The outlook for Joe Mazzulla is that he’s got every opportunity, even a likelihood, that he’ll be able to shed the interim tag at the end of the season and be the Celtics’ long-term coach,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” Friday night. “Brad Stevens certainly believed in him when he put him in the job but the relationships with the players — it’s one thing to be an assistant coach and have a relationship, it’s another to be a head coach [with the players].

“I think for Joe Mazzulla, right away he challenged his team and said ‘Listen, people think we’re going to be vulnerable now.’ He really got them on course with his leadership. You see the ball moving, you see them playing fast. This is a Celtics team, with all the talent they have, I think having the key players on his side, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart, that’s been immense for him.”

Mazzulla certainly entered his new role in an undesirable way. He was named the interim coach less than a week prior to the opening of training camp, taking over a team that fell short in the NBA Finals just a few months prior.

But Mazzulla’s squad has seemed to avoid any turmoil (for now) that could have come in the wake of Ime Udoka’s suspension for breaking the team’s personal conduct policy. Several players gave credit to Mazzulla following their season-opening win against the 76ers, with Brown calling the coach “tough as nails” and Smart saying he was “oozing” confidence.

“He wouldn’t have (taken) any of the credit for tonight, but the thing that I like about Joe and admire about him is that he’s very honest that he doesn’t know everything,” Tatum said following Tuesday’s win. “He wants us to help him out as much as he’s helping us out. It’s like we’re in a relationship, and we’re all on the same page and trying to accomplish the same thing. We’re all in this together.”

Beyond the players and Stevens, Celtics ownership seems to be a big fan of Mazzulla too. Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said he prevented Danny Ainge from hiring Mazzulla to Will Hardy’s coaching staff with the Jazz over the summer.

“I prevented Danny from stealing [Mazzulla] this summer, because I told Danny I’d fly to Utah and personally strangle him if he did. You can quote that,” Grousbeck said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Tuesday.

“You can take one person, an assistant, and make them a head coach, which they did with Will Hardy. Then they also wanted Mazzulla, and I was like, ‘That’s it, you’re crossing the line, and we’re not having it.’ And that was just when Joe was senior assistant with us, and now all of a sudden he’s interim head coach.”

As for Udoka, Wojnarowski reported that he could still have a coaching career outside of Boston.

“Ime Udoka, who [Mazzulla] replaced for this season, I’m told that if there’s another team that wants to hire Ime Udoka as a head coach or as an assistant coach, Boston is not going to stand in his way,” Wojnarowski said. “Certainly, I think Udoka’s career is likely going to be somewhere else.”

Udoka’s suspension is currently slated to last until June 30, 2023, but Grousbeck didn’t give a commitment as to whether or not Udoka would remain with the team once that date is reached.