Getty Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics
For all the discussions surrounding Joe Mazzulla‘s long-term future with the Boston Celtics, it turns out that their assistant coaches are the ones we should’ve been worried about.
According to a May 31 report by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, three Celtics assistants are expected to leave the team to reunite with Ime Udoka on the Houston Rockets staff. The three assistants in question are Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles, and Mike Moser.
The #Celtics need to make changes in the offseason, but what kind of changes?
“According to an NBA source, assistants Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles, and Mike Moser are expected to join Ime Udoka’s staff in Houston, leaving three or more openings on Mazzulla’s staff,” Washburn wrote. “There are a number of former head coaches and quality assistants who would likely be interested in coming to Boston to work with the likes of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and help the Celtics win a championship.”
Given how woefully thin the Celtics assistant coaching unit was throughout the postseason, losing another three members of the staff will be a hammer blow to Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens. As such, Boston’s President of Basketball Operations will be in for a busy summer as he tries to balance making core roster decisions with helping his second-year head coach rebuild his support staff.
LaMelo Ball Floated in Potential Jaylen Brown Swap
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the time is right for the Celtics to move on from All-Star wing Jaylen Brown. In a May 30 article, O’Connor postulated the idea of trying to prise LaMelo Ball away from the Charlotte Hornets in a move that would solve the Celtics’ need for a primary initiator.
“If the Hornets plan on taking Henderson with the no. 2 pick, I’d hit them up to ask about LaMelo Ball,” O’Connor wrote. “He developed some bad habits under Steve Clifford last season. Maybe the Hornets would want to shuffle the deck and pay Brown rather than pay LaMelo for an imperfect backcourt fit.”
LaMelo, 21, suffered a broken ankle during the 2022-23 NBA season but has shown that he’s capable of developing into an All-NBA level guard. In 162 career games, LaMelo is averaging 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game while shooting the rock at a 41.1% clip from the field and 37.6% clip from deep.
Isaiah Thomas Questions Celtics’ Togetherness
During a recent interview with Heavy on Sports Steve Bulpett, Isaiah Thomas discussed his former team’s game seven loss to the Miami Heat, noting how Erik Spoelstra‘s team showed more connectivity and togetherness.
Ex- @celtics great Isaiah Thomas spoke with @SteveBHoop about Boston’s Game 7 flop vs. Miami: “Everybody’s not built for these moments. So you got to tip your hat to the Miami Heat”
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“It was just tough, especially for a Game 7,” Thomas said. “It’s like, I think the effort was there, but their energy wasn’t, in terms of staying together. It looked like Miami was the closer-knit team. Whether Boston went on a run or not, they were just very collective and just stayed the course.”