Boston Celtics
“Sometimes the only experience is being out there on the sidelines. Want to give that to them.”
The Boston Celtics will open their preseason slate on Thursday night in Cleveland.
But Joe Mazzulla won’t be leading the Celtics from the bench.
Boston announced Thursday morning that two assistant coaches will handle head coaching duties against the Cavaliers. Tony Dobbins will coach the first half, with DJ MacLeay handling the second half.
Speaking ahead of the game, Mazzulla explained his role amid the coaching reshuffle for Thursday’s matchup.
“I’ll stay quiet,” Mazzulla said, per video from CLNS Media. “It’s always interesting, you go back to kind of looking at coordinators and seeing the game from a different perspective. But I’ll watch it from the back with some of the guys that won’t play and the video guys who will make the halftime edits.
“Just see what I don’t see. So it’s just as much for me as it is them. Once you see the game from a different perspective, but also giving those guys an opportunity.”
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Dobbins and MacLeay earned the head-coaching nods on Thursday. Dobbins is the longest-tenured assistant coach in Boston after joining the club in 2020. MacLeay joined Mazzulla’s staff as an assistant coach in 2022.
While Mazzulla said he will assume his regular role as head coach in Boston’s two preseason games at TD Garden on Saturday (vs. Philadelphia) and Oct. 14 (vs. Charlotte), he added that assistant coach Sam Cassell will also get his opportunity to serve as head coach during the team’s preseason finale against the 76ers on Oct. 16.
“To me, that’s a huge testament to them and the work that they do,” Mazzulla said. “So you’re always looking for opportunities to give them more experience. Sometimes the only experience is being out there on the sidelines. Want to give that to them. They deserved it; they earned it. They’re great what they do. I think we have one of the best staffs.”
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