Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is becoming accustomed to operating with championship expectations, which is why he wasn’t particularly thrilled about entering a season with a roster loaded with inexperienced players, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Even though Boston is off to what many view as a better-than-anticipated 6-7 start, Mazzulla says the feeling isn’t one of celebration. Instead, he describes it as more of a “fulfillment” than an “enjoyment.”
“I don’t enjoy being in the position that we’re in and I don’t enjoy some of that, but I’m fulfilled because at the end of the day we know where we are and we know what we’re trying to get to,” he explained. “And we’re doing it with a group of guys that have a competitive care factor that can pay dividends in the long term.”
The Celtics were already preparing for major roster changes due to second-apron spending limitations, but those plans accelerated after Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tear during the playoffs.
As a result, Boston saw four members of the 2024 championship rotation depart over the summer. Now Mazzulla is tasked with developing and maximizing a number of younger players, several of whom struggled to find success with previous teams.
There have been promising signs, however, from emerging contributors like Josh Minott, Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez. Mazzulla said he sees a competitive identity forming, one that reflects his own approach to the job.
“We haven’t played perfect but there has been a care factor to the process of ‘I’ve got to get this right, I’ve got to get this detail right. I have to execute. I have to understand my role. I’ve got to execute it every single night,’” he said. “Those things have come easy to guys because of their work ethic.”
Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Queta, Gonzalez, Kalkbrenner https://t.co/lKFGtfmDpQ pic.twitter.com/eHUNYDlP3T
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) November 16, 2025
