Brad Stevens shares the good points

The year-end festivities are an opportunity to review the start of the season as franchises have played a third of the regular season. After just over two months of competition, the results can only be positive for Boston despite some turmoil experienced in recent days.

Celtics President, Brad Stevens expressed his satisfaction, as Boston and Milwaukee will battle for first place in the Eastern Conference tonight. Ahead of the celebrations, there is of course the successful transfer of Joe Mazzulla. After the Ime Udoka affair, the management decided for an internal solution, and this choice proved to be just.

Joe Mazzulla, a successful bet

“It’s really good… Every 20 games you coach in the NBA, you get better. Even if it goes back to the beginning of the training camp, about the leadership, the organization, the way he was received… He is adjusting to everything. He is very open to people. With the different ideas they have. Maybe too open sometimes, right? Because there are a million things happening to him at the same time. But he is very good and his team is very good.

However, the shock was real when Ime Udoka, an NBA finalist for his rookie year, had to be relieved of his duties. But Joe Mazzulla was able to quickly trigger a new dynamic and his team followed suit. As a sign of his successful work, he has already won the title of coach of the month for November.

“It’s something we probably don’t talk about enough. I think it was a unique thing for everyone and the staff picked up the slack and did their job for the win. That’s what we should do. Everyone in this franchise has a role to play, we all have to play it to the best of our ability to give us a chance to win,” added Brad Stevens.

The team’s state of mind and unity were tested

Like Joe Mazzulla, Brad Stevens was thrown into the NBA deep end at the helm of one of the most prestigious franchises in the league. So he’s well-placed to know how his successor might feel, especially following Boston’s recent five-game losing streak.

“Coaching in any league or at any level is difficult, but coaching in the NBA with 82 games and inevitable ups and downs is a very difficult job. So I want Joe Mazzulla and our team to know that I know that. I lived. When you have a three-game slump, like today, where we’re not playing very well, or a two-week slump, know that I’ve seen a lot of great, great teams come through it. And so the key is if how to answer it? And how to simultaneously maintain the right approach while trying to make small adjustments and course corrections.”

While awaiting the first steps of Danilo Gallinari, the manager welcomed the contribution of Malcolm Brogdon, and especially his ability to be productive and regular off the bench. He also emphasized the state of mind and unity emerging from this 2022-2023 workforce.

“Even though we don’t always hang banners, we’ve had a lot of good teams and they’ve come close to doing that. This one has as much unity and a sense of camaraderie as any I’ve worked with on a professional level. I think they really like each other. This is a group with great personalities. I see it in a lot of things, when guys have a tough game, a tough day, there’s a lot of support between them, and I like that.”he confessed. “I think our top players are doing a great job of making sure everyone feels that way, and feels valued, and that’s a good thing.”