After leading the Boston Celtics to the NBA's best record through 59 games, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla finally got his promotion, as he had the interim dropped from his title, and is officially the C's newest head coach.
Joe Mazzulla is officially the 19th Head Coach in franchise history 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/LMcTLS1u0m
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 16, 2023
After a crazy offseason that featured a high-profile scandal and a shocking coaching controversy, former head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the 2022-23 campaign. That left the front office with the decision of finding a new leader for their team just a few weeks before the start of the season.
Boston decided to go with the 34-year-old Mazzulla, who was an assistant with Boston that had no head coaching experience in the NBA. Despite his youth, the New England native thrived in his role as the interim head coach. The C's started off the year on an offensive tear and are still atop the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break, as they hold an impressive 42-17 record.
After Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season with the team, Mazzulla has had a lot of high expectations to live up to. And despite that, he's led the C's well and has never seemed daunted by his role.
While it was reported in December that the Celtics wouldn't make Mazzulla their official head coach just yet, the front office has changed its mind. In a show of faith, Boston's higher-ups must have realized what they have in their young coach, and this promotion could possibly be a sign of their trust in him.
Since the Celtics have the best record in the NBA, Mazzulla will also get to coach in the upcoming NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. And while he's exceeded expectations as Boston's new leader, there's still work to be done as the C's look to capture their first championship in 15 years.
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