3 things the Celtics need to do to get farther next year

Celtics offseason priorities: 2. Keep Joe Mazzulla or bring in a veteran coach

After Ima Udoka dismissal’s, the coach situation in Boston was always going to be weird. Joe Mazzulla was a great coach in the first half of the season but started to struggle after the All-Star break.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Mazzulla failed to call timeouts when the Celtics could have used them. After Miami was able to go on huge runs in the series, the first-year coach decided to let the Celtics figure it out on the floor. His time management, refusal to disrupt MIami’s momentum with timeouts and lack of any real tactical adjustments were a big problem.

However, replacing him with another young coach might not be the answer. The worst thing that the Celtics could do is hire a new rookie head coach who will need to take his lumps like Mazzulla. The best thing that Boston could do is support Mazzulla with more veteran assistant coaches who could help compensate for his shortcomings while he continues to grow.