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Why Brad Stevens Believes In Joe Mazzulla, Overachieving Celtics originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A lot of people were down on the Boston Celtics coming into this season.
Their roster appeared severely weaker after losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet over the offseason, plus Jayson Tatum to injury. Furthermore, there were questions surrounding Joe Mazzulla following his team's shocking collapse against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In the months since then, Mazzulla and the Celtics have proven their critics wrong. Very wrong.
Boston's been one of the best teams in basketball this year, going 41-20 with the NBA's second-best net rating. Meanwhile, Mazzulla's emerged as an NBA Coach of the Year candidate.
In a recent interview with Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe (subscription required), Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he's not surprised by either development.
‘I don’t put a ceiling on us ever’: Celtics president Brad Stevens not surprised his team is playing so well this season https://t.co/djy8cxAdZy
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) February 27, 2026
"I don’t put a ceiling on us ever," Stevens told Shaughnessy.
Stevens credited his players for banding together and playing great team basketball, embracing their new roles and becoming the best version of themselves on the court. He also praised Boston's coaching staff for helping them get there.
"We like the character of our group. We have some really good players that have been there, done that," Stevens said. "It makes sense that we’d have the kind of year that we’ve had, but it’s taken everyone being all-in and an excellent job by the coaching staff of defining roles. And an excellent job by the playing group of embracing those roles."
Stevens also credited Mazzulla for all his work behind the scenes and getting the most out of his players.
"He’s always been probably more ready than everybody realized. On top of that, you add his competitiveness, his intelligence, his willingness to work, and his willingness to really create meaningful relationships," Stevens said.
The Celtics appear close to getting Tatum back, too, so they might be about to get even better.
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