For most fans, the 2025-26 season was supposed to be when the Boston Celtics took a break. They did not have key pieces like Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and even got rid of Anfernee Simons at the trade deadline. However, Coach Joe Mazzulla wanted to compete and had Jaylen Brown pop off as well as surrounded him with new talents. Now, they are competing for a 19th banner and just got Jayson Tatum back. All of this seem to be NBA Coach of the Year material but he could not care less for the award.

Celtics’ Mazzulla funnily calls NBA Coach of the Year honor ‘stupid’

This is not at all new for the Celtics head coach. He has dropped hilarious one-liners to show his true self to the media. At one point, he even had very psychotic ideas that would only compete with guys like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. Players like Brown, Tatum, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White among others are very much used to it too.

When asked about possibly winning the NBA Coach of the Year award, Mazzulla did not fail to be no nonsense in his response. He found the honor unnecessary and is not trying to win games for clinching it too, via Jay King of The Athletic.

“I don’t need it. I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple. I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them,” the Celtics head coach said.

Mazzulla has done an incredible job for the Celtics. Boston might be running at a league-low pace of 94.6 but everything is falling in their favor when they play their own brand of basketball. They have the second-best offensive rating in the league which is about 120.3. Their defensive rating of 112.6 is also insane and that ranks them fourth in the league.

Doing all of this without an All-NBA running mate alongside Brown is impressive. The fact that he also integrated Tatum well into the system with less than 10 months of recovery is impressive. Mazzulla does not want NBA Coach of the Year for himself, he wants it for every member of the staff surrounding him.

“It’s a good, small affirmation that he’s continuing to chip away at just getting better and better. So, it’s a credit to the work that he’s put in, his team, that everybody that’s helped him get back to where he is now and what he’s doing. And so, good, small affirmation and we can keep getting better,” he said

The Celtics are well on their way to the road heading to Banner 19. Mazzulla may or may not like it but his coaching prowess is why they are so close to another Larry O’Brien trophy.

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