NBA rumors: In spite of the fact that he led the Boston Celtics to the second-best record in the NBA behind only the Milwaukee Bucks last season, Joe Mazzulla’s job security was still put into question after his team suffered a brutal loss against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Well, as of right now, the 35-year-old still stands as Boston’s head coach, and it looks like this is going to be the case for a much longer period.
NBA Rumors: Joe Mazzulla’s Job Was ‘Never In Trouble’
ESPN’s NBA guru Brian Windhorst recently reported on Mazzulla’s current standing with the Celtics. This is amid widespread rumors that Boston’s front office was considering firing him after they lost to the Heat in the East Finals. As it turns out, there simply isn’t any truth to these rumors:
“At the end of the season, there were a lot of people who thought Joe Mazzulla was in some level of trouble—to the point where Brad Stevens needed to say in his press conference interview that [Mazzulla] is coming back,” Windhorst said on a recent episode of his podcast (h/t Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report). “Not only was [Mazzulla] never in trouble, Brad Stevens’ biggest moves as the president of the team has been to lean into more of the way Joe Mazzulla wants to play, which is high-volume three-point shooting and offense over defense.
“They are absolutely headlong in to the Mazzulla mindset, and the Mazzulla mindset is shaped by Brad Stevens, too. This is the way Stevens and Mazzulla want to play.”
From starting last season as the Celtics’ interim coach, it didn’t take long before Mazzulla was promoted to a permanent role. Brad Stevens had a lot of trust in the first-year shot-caller and they both shared the same vision. At this point, nothing has changed with regard to Stevens’ unwavering confidence in Coach Joe.
NBA Rumors: Bucks’ Ex-Coach Mike Budenholzer Was Not As Lucky
While the Celtics decided to stick with Mazzulla after their series loss to Miami, the Milwaukee Bucks did not share the same optimism. Shortly after their first-round elimination at the hands of the No. 8 seed Heat, Milwaukee gave ex-head coach Mike Budenholzer the axe. The former NBA Coach of the Year, who led the Bucks to a title in 2021, had his time run out in Milwaukee, and unfortunately for him, the Bucks’ front office decided that it was in their best interest to move forward without him.
Milwaukee has now turned to rookie coach Adrian Griffin ahead of the 2023-24 season. It may be his first time as an NBA head coach, but this man has been in the league for quite a bit. It goes without saying that there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Griffin’s shoulders in his debut campaign.
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