LOS ANGELES — Former Boston Celtics veteran and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has a unique perspective. He's one of just 42 players to don the green and white and the purple and gold in his NBA career. He's also one of the few players to suit up for and against Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.

That potential insider information didn't help the Lakers when they hosted the Celtics on Sunday afternoon, as Boston left L.A. with a 111-89 blowout win over its hated rival. However, it did help Smart reach a conclusion that others are finally starting to catch on to: Mazzulla is one of the top minds in the Association.

“Joe's a great coach,” Smart said in the locker room ahead of the second meeting of the season between the Celtics and Lakers. “And he's been on the team, he's seen these teams in the past, and he got to take notes from there, and make his own adjustments. So, Joe's been doing a really good job. ”

Before Mazzulla was a head coach with a ring and multiple 60-plus-win seasons, he was an assistant coach with the Celtics. And while he was largely unknown in the basketball world prior to becoming the head coach of the Green Team in 2022, Smart isn't shocked by what he's been able to accomplish in Boston, especially this season when the Celtics were expected to struggle without star forward Jayson Tatum.

“I mean, for me personally, I'm not surprised,” Smart said. “They got a lot of great players over there. These guys been playing together for a while…I definitely think they're doing what I expected them to do, but it is fun to watch.”

The Celtics continued their winning ways shortly after Smart's comments, completing a season sweep of the Lakers for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign (Smart's final season with the C's) and holding their historic foes to their worst offensive output of 2026.

Following the 22-point victory, the Celtics are 37-19 overall, an impressive 19-10 on the road, and in second place in the Eastern Conference. What they've been able to do with Tatum rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles and multiple starters missing from last season is quite impressive.

What JJ Redick had to say about Joe Mazzulla's ‘phenomenal' season

Even Lakers head coach JJ Redick said as much, pointing out Mazzulla's role in the success.

“I think Joe is — there's a handful of coaches that I think are doing a tier-one job this year,” Redick stated during his pregame press conference. “And Joe's in that group of coaches, he's really doing a phenomenal job.”

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While Smart and Redick, who Mazzulla tried to hire in Boston multiple times, both share a relationship with the Celtics skipper, their praise is genuine and not swayed by personal connection. They're simply two basketball experts with an understanding of why Mazzulla is a true Coach of the Year candidate.

But, in Mazzulla's mind, the Celtics haven't achieved much.

“The story is the story is not done,” he said postgame when asked how to summarize the Celtics' 2025-26 season. “We're only a product of what we do tomorrow and what we do the next day…We haven't done anything. All we've done is stick to the process of winning on both ends of the floor.”

The next chapter of the Celtics' unfinished story will feature a Tuesday night showdown with the Phoenix Suns, who are in some ways Boston's Western Conference counterparts, given their surprising 33-25 record.

As always, Mazzulla will use this matchup as an opportunity for improvement, regardless of the result.

“Don't overreact to a good win or a bad loss, and get better the next game,” Mazzulla reiterated.