Joe Mazzulla is one of the most vocal coaches in the league. At the same time, he is quite candid in his interviews, which is why he is considered quite a blunt head coach. He already has the success under his belt with the 2024 championship, but it seems that he will continue to be uniquely vocal.
Now that the Boston Celtics have made a major change by trading Jaylen Brown, the team is in a new era. Despite that trade, it seems the vibes are high in the Celtics‘ locker room. Everyone understands that, but Mazzulla is wary of how the season will change those vibes.
Joe Mazzulla knows the Celtics will encounter obstacles in the 2026-27 season
In the Eastern Conference for the 2026-27 season, people are calling the defending champions New York Knicks the favorites alongside the refreshed Miami Heat and the stacked Philadelphia 76ers. The hype is warranted for all three of those teams, which has left the Celtics in a weird spot.
Everyone can agree that the Celtics are still a good team, but they don’t have the star power from before. They have split up the two Jays, so Jayson Tatum’s co-star is now an older Paul George, who has not played at that elite level for a couple of seasons now.
MORE: Grant Williams gets honest about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s dynamic
During training camp, it seems the environment is benefiting the Celtics. They want to be as competitive as possible, and it is drawing out positive reactions throughout the team. However, Mazzulla continues to be a realist who will admit that this may not last as long as people would want.
“Every team you lead is the most together team right now. Because we haven’t traveled. No one’s gotten benched. No one’s been on a losing streak. No one’s gotten blamed in the media. No one’s had to go stand in the corner for 10 minutes and not get the ball. So, you learn those things as the season goes on, and you just learn how to work through those things together,” Mazzulla candidly said about how things can change when an NBA season starts.
“You can’t simulate those. It just comes with time. So, right now I would say all 30 teams feel great about themselves, and we got to wait till adversity hits.”
That is a fair perspective from a successful head coach. As the Celtics progress, they know that they will face some genuine obstacles along the way. By setting the tone from training camp with these comments and what he tells the players, the Celtics will be more than ready to overcome what is in their way.
