Joe Mazzulla won’t be on the sideline calling the shots when the Boston Celtics open preseason play against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Instead, the Celtics are turning the first half over to Tony Dobbins and the second half to DJ MacLeay, giving both assistants a rare chance to run the show in an NBA game. Mazzulla said the move is meant to help both coaches keep building toward bigger opportunities.
“I want to give them the opportunity to be able to just build themselves as coaches,” Mazzulla explained to reporters in Cleveland (via CLNS). “Both guys had coaching interviews this past summer, and I want them to be able to build on that.”
That idea has been part of Mazzulla’s approach before. He has already let both coaches handle summer league duties, and this preseason opener gives them another step forward.
“You're just always looking for opportunities to give them more experience,” Mazzulla said. “Sometimes the only experience is being out there on the sideline.
So, I want to give that to them. They deserve it.
They’ve earned it. They're great at what they do.
I think we have one of the best staffs, so we want to try to help them.”
Mazzulla also singled out Dobbins for the way he has handled his career path, pointing out that a lot of coaches rush to get their first shot. Dobbins has taken a quieter route, but he has been heavily involved with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum during his time in Boston. MacLeay, meanwhile, brings a louder presence and has earned credit for steering Boston’s defensive gameplan.
Mike Conley also praised the decision at shootaround.
“I think it's a great opportunity for them,” Conley said at shootaround. “Joe's a guy that seems like he just empowers everybody around him, players and coaches included.
So D. Mac and Tony getting that opportunity tonight, I know it's going to be a good chance for them to just feel what it's like being in that seat and coach the team.”
Mazzulla won’t be detached from the game entirely. He said he’ll watch from the back with the players who don’t see action and the video staff working on halftime edits, using the night to pick up things he might miss from the bench.
“I'll watch it in the back with some of the guys that won't play, and the video guys who do the halftime edits,” Mazzulla said. “[I’ll] see what I don't see when they're out there, so it's just as much for me as it is them. But I think it's just seeing the game from a different perspective, and also giving those guys an opportunity.”
Mazzulla said he’ll return to the sideline for the next two preseason games before handing the final preseason game to lead assistant Sam Cassell.
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