Should Joe Mazzulla be an early favorite for NBA Coach of the Year?

COMMENTARY

By all accounts, this could have been a down yr for the Celtics.

It’s not that there was any want for a rebuild; Boston nonetheless has an unbelievable basis of younger superstars that can maintain its championship window open for years.

However when Jayson Tatum suffered his achilles harm within the playoffs final season, it was clear issues had been going to be completely different. And since Boston was already coping with a wage cap conundrum, realizing Tatum’s standing allowed Brad Stevens to make selections geared in the direction of the longer term — past 2025.

Thus, Boston’s championship roster from two seasons in the past was partially dismantled. Stevens removed Jrue Vacation and Kristaps Porzingis, and different contributors like Al Horford and Luke Kornet moved on as effectively.

However any goals Boston followers may need had a couple of lottery choose to pair with Tatum and Jaylen Brown in 2026 have light away. As a result of Joe Mazzulla has the Celtics enjoying like a staff that’s not able to telephone it in.

If the NBA season ended immediately, Boston could be the No. 3 seed within the Jap Convention. It’s driving a three-game successful streak and even with an underpowered lineup, Mazzulla has led the Celtics to some key wins early within the yr.

Maybe Mazzulla’s largest signature win of the season up to now got here in opposition to the Raptors on Dec. twentieth. Mazzulla didn’t have his main scorer Jaylen Brown out there, and nonetheless beat Toronto on the second evening of a again to again through which arguably his most impactful gamers had been Payton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez and Luke Garza.

Few if any coaches within the NBA are getting extra wins with much less expertise of their lineups than Mazzulla. However is he doing a adequate job to win the NBA’s Coach of the 12 months award?

Properly, that relies on how voters weigh report vs. roster. The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder are operating away with one of the best report within the NBA, and will even give the 2015 Warriors a run for his or her cash for one of the best report in NBA historical past. That makes OKC coach Mark Daigneault an apparent favourite to win Coach of the 12 months.

Nonetheless, the Thunder have an unbelievable lineup that features reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Additionally they have one of many present favorites for Defensive Participant of the 12 months in Chet Holmgren.

When Boston had its dominant season in 2023-24, Mazzulla might have very effectively gained the award then. However the Celtics’ dominant lineup gave the impression to be an obstacle to him within the eyes of voters. Boston was virtually too proficient with Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, Vacation, and Derrick White, and that appeared to make Mazzulla’s teaching efforts look much less spectacular.

This season has given many underneath the radar gamers a chance to shine that they didn’t have in the previous few seasons. However it’s additionally allowed Mazzulla to showcase simply how nice of a younger coach he actually is.

At this stage, it’s comparatively unlikely that Mazzulla will win Coach of the 12 months contemplating the dominance of the Thunder and the sudden rise of the Detroit Pistons. And there are different sturdy candidates past them. However by the top of the season if Boston retains trending, the case might completely be made that Mazzulla is having one of the best teaching season of anyone within the NBA.