Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the decision to remove the interim tag from coach Joe Mazzulla and give him the job on a permanent basis was to remove any potential “cloud of uncertainty” from hanging over him for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
Mazzulla, 34, was named the team’s interim coach in September — just days before the start of training camp — after Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for the 2022-23 season for multiple violations of team rules.
Mazzulla has since led Boston to the NBA’s best record, 42-17, entering the All-Star break, and he will be coaching Team Giannis this weekend in the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
Boston began the season 18-4, and currently has the NBA’s third-best offensive rating and fourth-best defensive rating — making the Celtics the only team to reside in the top five in both categories. Only Cleveland and Philadelphia are in the top 10.
Thursday’s announcement marks the continuation of a rapid ascent up the coaching ladder for Mazzulla, who was an assistant at Division II Fairmont State in West Virginia 10 years ago, before joining Boston’s G League affiliate as an assistant in 2016.