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Danny Ainge also defends Joe Mazzulla

Joe Mazzulla’s first season on the bench for the Celtics was eventful from start to finish, and the manager focused on criticism after his group was eliminated in the Conference Finals against the Heat.

Already confirmed for next season by the president of the franchise, Brad Stevens, the coach can now also count on the support of Danny Ainge, the former president of the Celtics, who now operates at the Jazz.

“I work for another franchise today, but I still defend and support my friends”explains the latter for the Boston Globe. “I know Joe, I hired him four or five years ago to work in our G-League team. I don’t think the team let Joe down, there’s evidence to even show otherwise. The Celtics just didn’t play well, the team’s confidence was shaken after their season-high qualifier against the Sixers. »

“Everyone in Boston is convinced that Joe is better than Ime Udoka”

Even if he failed to reach the Finals, as Jayson Tatum and his band did in 2022, Joe Mazzulla has nothing to envy to his predecessor according to the former Boston leader.

“The team found joy but were inconsistent. Nevertheless, the players supported each other. They defended Joe in front of the press,” recalls Danny Ainge. “We saw the toughness and stubbornness of Joe, who is a hard worker who is eager to learn. He is a leader. I find the situation was difficult with high expectations at the time he arrived. I think everyone in Boston is convinced that Joe is better than Ime Udoka. »

But if the 2022 finalists failed against Miami, isn’t it partly their coach’s fault?

“No coach can live a series of playoffs without making mistakes, as the players also commit”, recalls the general manager of the Jazz. “We saw streaks of isolation and awkwardness at 3-pts and not just in Boston, but all over the NBA. The teams experience breakdowns at 3-pts. The energy level increases when you put outside shots and the Celtics are like the others in this area. »

Shots Bounces
Players GM Minimum Shots 3 points LF Off Def Early pd bp Int CT party Points
Jayson Tatum 74 36.9 46.6 35.0 85.4 1.1 7.7 8.8 4.6 2.9 1.1 0.7 2.2 30.1
Jaylen Brown 67 35.9 49.1 33.5 76.5 1.2 5.7 6.9 3.5 2.9 1.1 0.4 2.6 26.6
Malcolm Brogdon 67 26.0 48.4 44.4 87.0 0.6 3.6 4.2 3.7 1.5 0.7 0.3 1.6 14.9
Derrick White 82 28.3 46.2 38.1 87.5 0.6 2.9 3.6 3.9 1.2 0.7 0.9 2.2 12.4
Marcus Smart 61 32.1 41.5 33.6 74.6 0.8 2.4 3.1 6.3 2.3 1.5 0.4 2.8 11.5
Al Horford 63 30.5 47.6 44.6 71.4 1.2 5.0 6.2 3.0 0.6 0.5 1.0 1.9 9.8
Grant Williams 79 25.9 45.4 39.5 77.0 1.1 3.5 4.6 1.7 1.0 0.5 0.4 2.4 8.1
Robert Williams 35 23.5 74.7 0.0 61.0 3.0 5.4 8.3 1.4 1.0 0.6 1.4 1.9 8.0
Sam Hauser 80 16.1 45.5 41.8 70.6 0.4 2.1 2.6 0.9 0.4 0.4 0.3 1.2 6.4
Mike Muscala 20 16.2 47.2 38.5 69.2 0.7 2.7 3.4 0.6 0.5 0.2 0.3 1.4 5.9
Payton Pritchard 48 13.4 41.2 36.4 75.0 0.5 1.3 1.8 1.3 0.8 0.3 0.0 0.8 5.6
Blake Griffin 41 13.9 48.5 34.8 65.6 1.1 2.6 3.8 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.2 1.8 4.1
Luke Kornet 69 11.7 66.5 23.1 82.1 1.2 1.6 2.9 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.7 1.2 3.8
Justin Champagnie 2 11.7 16.7 20.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.5 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.5 2.5
Jd Davison 12 5.5 42.1 28.6 50.0 0.2 0.6 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.4 1.6
Mfiondu Kabengele 4 9.1 28.6 0.0 100.0 1.3 1.3 2.5 0.0 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.8 1.5
noah vonleh 23 7.4 45.8 25.0 100.0 0.8 1.3 2.1 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.3 1.5 1.1
justin jackson 23 4.7 25.9 25.0 50.0 0.1 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.9

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