Woj: Joe Mazzulla Has 'Every Opportunity' to Become Celtics' Full-Time Head Coach
Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla will reportedly be given a fair chance to become the full-time head coach of the team.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski discussed the situation Friday night on NBA Countdown, saying Mazzulla will have "every opportunity" to take the job:
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Wojnarowski added that Mazzulla getting the job may be a "likelihood" if he and the team continue to be successful.
Shortly before the start of the 2022-23 regular season, Mazzulla was elevated from assistant coach to interim head coach when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire campaign.
Per Wojnarowski, the suspension stemmed from Udoka having an intimate relationship with a female Celtics staffer.
In his only season as an NBA head coach, Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record last season and a trip to the NBA Finals, where they fell 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors.
After spending time as an assistant coach at small colleges and in the NBA G League, Mazzulla served as the head coach at Division II Fairmont State for two seasons.
That led to his hiring by Boston as an assistant in 2019, and Udoka kept him in as part of the staff when Brad Stevens moved from the sidelines to the front office.
The 34-year-old Mazzulla has the reigning Eastern Conference champions off to a great start at 2-0 with victories over two of their biggest competitors in the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.
Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are performing at an MVP-caliber level through two games, while Grant Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart and Al Horford are pitching in significantly as well.
Wojnarowski reported Friday that the Celtics will not stand in Udoka's way if another team wants to hire him as a head coach or assistant coach while he is suspended.
That suggests the Celtics are comfortable with moving on, which means the front office likely has at least some degree of confidence in Mazzulla and his ability to keep Boston near the top of the NBA.
