Joe Mazzulla Handed NBA Coach of the Year After Leading Celtics to 56-Win Season

Joe Mazzulla won the 2024 NBA Coach of the Year award Tuesday after steering the Boston Celtics to a 56-26 record and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics head coach, who previously called the award "stupid," received 62 first-place votes out of a possible 101 to edge out Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff and San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson. Mazzulla tallied 392 total points to claim the honor.

Mazzulla took over a Celtics team in flux after a summer of roster upheaval. The team lost Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet in a cost-cutting move, replacing them with largely unproven players. Boston still managed to finish second in offensive efficiency and fourth in defensive efficiency while ranking in the top four in net rating.

“Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night,” Mazzulla said. “This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named Staff of the Year.”

The Celtics were without star forward Jayson Tatum until early March due to injury. Despite that, the team closed the regular season with a 13-3 record. Mazzulla’s ability to develop young and untested players was a major factor in Boston’s success.

Brad Stevens, the team’s president of basketball operations, praised Mazzulla’s leadership. “With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team,” Stevens said. “He pours everything he has into competing at a high level while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team.”

Mazzulla focused on creating a strong learning environment after the Celtics lost so many veteran leaders. His approach helped the team adapt and thrive even with a roster in transition.

J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons and Mitch Johnson of the Spurs were strong runners-up. Bickerstaff finished with 29 first-place votes and 255 total points while Johnson, in his first year with the Spurs, earned nine first-place votes. Charles Lee of the Hornets and Jordan Ott of the Suns rounded out the top five.

With the Celtics entering the playoffs as a top-two seed, the focus now shifts to how Mazzulla will adjust his system for postseason play. The team’s 13-3 finish showed promise, but the real test comes in the first round as Boston looks to prove it can win in the bubble.