The Lakers are leaning into an offense that looks awfully familiar.
According to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha, and per JJ Redick, the team’s offensive plan “anticipates the Lakers ranking higher in paint touches, offensive rebounds, and 3-point volume.”
That’s a pretty clear nod toward the kind of possession-heavy style Joe Mazzulla has helped turn into a Celtics calling card. The Lakers appear to be building around the same basic ideas: pressure the rim, crash the glass, and keep the three-point attempts coming.
And on paper, the roster gives them a path to do it. Walker Kessler is one of the league’s better offensive rebounders, Kevon Looney is strong in that area too, and Austin Reaves, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvelli supply the shooting to keep the offense spaced out.
The bigger question sits on the other end. Kessler should help as a rim protector, and Matisse Thybulle is described as a smart buy-low candidate, but Mazzulla Ball is about more than just scoring. It’s a two-way approach, and Boston’s version has been built to hold up on both ends.
Redick has made it clear before that he likes what Mazzulla has done. Before he took over as Lakers head coach, Mazzulla tried to bring Redick onto his staff in Boston, a sign of the mutual respect between them. Redick has also singled out Mazzulla for the job he’s done with the Celtics, especially during the stretch when Boston kept rolling without Jayson Tatum.
So even with the Lakers and Celtics sitting on opposite sides of the NBA’s fiercest rivalry, the coaching overlap is obvious. They share the same basketball philosophy, even if the Lakers still have to prove they can execute it at the same level.
Boston’s version of Mazzulla Ball has also leaned hard into depth, with the Celtics stressing going 15 deep over the past four seasons. The Lakers may not be able to match that blueprint exactly, but the stylistic influence is unmistakable. And yes, in true Mazzulla Ball fashion, the Lakers let Marcus Smart go, so they’ve got that going for them.
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Joe Mazzullas Celtics Blueprint Is Showing Up In An Unexpected Place
Joe Mazzulla has already built a clear identity in Boston, and now the ripple effects are showing up somewhere a little farther away than Celtics fans might expect. Since taking over for Ime Udoka, Mazzulla has guided a system that leans into offensive rebounding and defensive disruption, two traits that have become part of the Celtics calling card and a big reason the team has stayed so effective under his watch.
What makes the picture even more interesting is that Udoka, now in Houston, is reportedly working with a similar style of play for the Rockets. With Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet on the way back and Marcus Smart joining the mix, there is plenty of reason to think the Rockets can become more dangerous soon. For Boston, it is another reminder that Mazzullas blueprint is not just winning games in the present, it is helping shape the way another contender wants to play. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Fans Have Seen This Star Packed Problem Before
The 76ers spent the offseason chasing star power, and on paper that kind of move always looks simple enough: add more talent, sort out the rest later. But the reality can get messy fast, especially when a roster starts piling up high-usage players who all expect the ball, the freedom, and the offensive space that comes with being a centerpiece.
Celtics fans know the warning signs well from the 2018 group, when all that ability still had to fit somewhere and the distribution of roles never quite solved itself cleanly. LeBron James has also brought his own adjustment period to new stops, so Philadelphia is already staring at the kind of growing pains that can turn a loaded lineup into a complicated one. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Mazzulla Is Pushing Celtics Unity In A Way Fans Will Notice
The Celtics have spent training camp at The Citadel in South Carolina, and Joe Mazzulla has clearly made togetherness part of the early agenda. Along with the usual on-court work, the team has been leaning into communication and bonding, with a mandatory post-flight yoga session among the more noticeable touches meant to get everyone moving in the same direction.
Payton Pritchard and Jordan Walsh both described a camp environment that feels a little different from the norm, with new routines and a practice setting built to keep the group connected. For a team with big expectations, those details matter because Mazzulla is trying to shape chemistry before the games start counting, and the rest of camp should show how much of that emphasis carries over once the work gets more intense. [Read more 🡒]