It’s easy to forget the twists of fate needed for Joe Mazzulla to end up the head coach of the Boston Celtics. Ime Udoka had an incredible first season as the team’s coach, leading them to an improbable in-season turnaround and Finals appearance in 2022. It appeared as if Udoka was here to stay, the coach of the present and future.
But we all know what happened next, and now we’re in year four of Mazzulla, who has a championship ring in his pocket, and is among the favorites to win this season’s Coach of the Year Award, as he has the Cs in 2nd place in the East at 33-18 despite playing zero games with Jayson Tatum and losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horfor, and Luke Kornet in the offseason.