Joe Mazzulla: “I always believed I would be a head coach in the NBA”

While an exceptional second half of the season ended with a loss in the Finals, Boston continued to dominate the Eastern Conference and even the NBA since the start of the season. However, the unity and stability of the franchise was disrupted during the offseason, when leaders of the franchise were forced to suspend Ime Udoka after her extramarital affair with a staff member was discovered.

Joe Mazzulla, who started as an interim, has had great success maintaining the same dynamic for his first mission as an NBA head coach at the age of 34. The NBA also named him the best coach of October and November.

“I am grateful for this award. “The coach of the month winner shows how hard our team works and the trust and bond we have with the players.”he said to Andscape.

In continuity by Ime Udoka… and Brad Stevens

The new coach returned to his unexpected and dazzling rise, even as he always harbored the idea of ​​one day becoming a head coach in the world’s most prestigious league.

“I always believed that I would be a head coach in the NBA. I believed in myself, but I didn’t know it would happen so soon. I didn’t know it was going to be in Boston. But I felt that it would happen at some point. At least I hoped so.he admitted, adding that he did not hesitate despite the delicate context surrounding the suspension of former “superior” Ime Udoka. “You can’t really control how opportunities present themselves. And for me, I’ve always tried to remove emotions because they’re fleeting and distracting. There is passion. If you remove the emotion, only the truth remains. And so when it came up, I said, “That’s it.” There is nothing I can do about it. The only thing I can control is how I act.”

His first performance was obviously well received by Jayson Tatum and his teammates. The idea was to let players talk about anything, especially the differences between his methods and Ime Udoka’s, with the main goal being to try to establish the most transparent relationship possible with his group.

For him, the key to a good relationship with the team is “honesty and listening”.

“I tell the kids all the time, it’s a collaboration. A lot of these guys have been in the league a long time and they know it. They know the ups and downs, the scouting reports, the trends. So you should listen. You have to ask questions. What do you see? What do you want ? What is important? Where do you think we can do better? And then about finding the little areas, ‘OK, here’s how we do it.’ So I think it’s important to listen and be as honest as possible without hesitation.”he added.

While he learned from first-hand experience as Brad Stevens’ assistant for two years, he also drew inspiration from Ime Udoka’s methods to establish his own identity as a head coach.

“I was very cold-blooded. He had a lot of experience and was very patient. Many. Sometimes when you’re an assistant, “Damn it!” I was saying. We had a difficult period at the beginning of last season, it was not far from success. He demonstrated the ability to be patient and give strength to the players in those moments. He had an uncanny gift for remembering everything that happened in a match.he remembered. “Working with Brad Stevens for two years, I got to see his methodical side, his preparation, a side of things that I wouldn’t have been as good or as comfortable in my position if I hadn’t thought about it. encountered two. If I had a year of Im and no Brad, I would be incomplete and vice versa. So being able to benefit from those two sides of the NBA helped me become more comfortable in that position, so to speak.

A “temporary” trainer in sneakers

Although things have been going well in Boston for nearly two months, his position remains fragile despite the demands of results as interim coach, as well as his personal situation. But this is not a situation that stresses him or puts special pressure on his shoulders.

“There’s really no pressure. For me, it’s just a responsibility. I owe it to Brad Stevens, the Celtics, the lore, the players, the franchise, the owners, to do whatever it takes to give this team the best chance to win another title. And you can’t stop until that happens. For me, it’s just a responsibility. And when I’m in those moments, the only thing left for me is to fight.”

The same goes for his future as he remains officially an ‘interim’ coach and after a year in charge there is a possibility that his tale could come to an abrupt end.

“Honestly, I don’t care. Whether you (ie) or not, you are still temporary. It comes down to the question of what constitutes truth. The truth is, it’s just a name. “Whether I have a 5-year contract or a one-year contract, I can be fired at any time.”