The Boston Celtics have signed head coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Friday.
Mazzulla took over as head coach of the Celtics on Feb. 16, 2023 after initially taking the job on an interim basis in place of Ime Udoka. He helped lead Boston to a championship in 2024. The team’s title defense this year came to an end against the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.
“This is truly a blessing,” Mazzulla said. “I would not be here without my faith, my wife, my children. We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad’s mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons.
“I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.”
Team president Brad Stevens made the decision to hire Mazzulla initially and issued a statement.
“We are very excited that Joe has agreed to extend with the Celtics,” Stevens said. “He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans. He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach — including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning an NBA championship.
“Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”
Mazzulla Faces Big Challenge Ahead With Celtics
The Celtics have indeed been extremely successful under Mazzulla. It’s also true that he took over as head coach at a time when the team was already in title contention mode.
His biggest influence can be seen in the way the team’s offense functions, prioritizing an analytics friendly shot spectrum with paint twos and a lot of three-pointers. The mid-range is primarily preserved for the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Mazzulla has tremendous conviction in his philosophy, pushing the envelope in just how many threes this team attempts. The Celtics have led the league in three-point attempts in each of the last two seasons. For 2024-25, they attempted a staggering 48.2 threes a game, nearly six more than the second-placed Golden State Warriors and nearly 11 higher than the average of 37.
Boston’s roster this upcoming season is not equipped for title contention. It’s likely he will still look to emphasize the ideal shot spectrum so as to maximize the offense but the tools at his disposal won’t be as effective.
Understandably, expectations won’t be as high, either. It won’t be a surprise if the Celtics miss the playoffs entirely.
How Mazzulla and the franchise goes about their business in what many view as a “gap” year will be fascinating to see.