{"id":129021,"date":"2025-09-03T06:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T06:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/129021\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T06:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T06:04:09","slug":"natalie-nakase-reflects-on-celtics-joe-mazzullas-mentorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/129021\/","title":{"rendered":"Natalie Nakase reflects on Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla’s mentorship"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO\u2013\u00a0 It’s no surprise Natalie Nakase has the Golden State Valkyries close to clinching a playoff birth<\/a>. She comes from one of the most impressive coaching trees in professional basketball, with championship-winning coaches Tyrone Lue<\/a>, Doc Rivers, and Becky Hammon as her mentors.<\/p>\n

But of all her talented mentors, the one Nakase has thought about lately and the one her coaching style and philosophy emulate, perhaps the most, is Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla<\/a>. Not long after Golden State hired Nakase, she connected with Mazzulla and shadowed the coach<\/a> for the entire Celtics offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to pick Joe Mazzulla’s brain in the offseason. Just because he’s a young coach who had expectations of winning championships. Banners are the only thing that’s acceptable in Boston,\u201d Nakase said, a circumstance that draws parallels to the high expectations of Joe Lacob and the Warriors set for basketball in the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

Asked Natalie Nakase about the offseason she spent with Joe Mazzulla and how it\u2019s shaped her coaching style:<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am without my mentors\u2026 What I pulled from Joe Mazzulla was, his staff is so connected\u2026 I was like, \u2018I want a staff where there\u2019s no hierarchy. pic.twitter.com\/NDy1SMnnmS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) September 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

For an entire summer, Nakase got a first-hand experience from the unorthodox self-professed \u201cpsycho\u201d behind the Celtics’ 2024 Championship. In Noa Dalzell’s story with SB Nation, Nakase cited his win-or-die<\/a> mentality, his highly detailed preparation, and the cohesion among him and his coaching staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust very lucky that he was able to give me the amount of time that he did. And the insight. Again, [what] I pulled from Joe Mazzulla was that his staff [is] connected. The first day watching practice, I was like, \u2018Who’s the bench coach? Who’s the [player development coach]? Who’s the video guy?’ I could not tell who was who because everyone took part in coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

No \u201chierarchy\u201d for Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase or Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla\"GoldenDarren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

For Nakase, Mazzulla’s culture of collaboration was one of the biggest takeaways from her offseason with him and the Celtics. It’s why Nakase’s big on crediting her assistant coaches<\/a> and scouting department whenever possible. It’s why, after wins lately, Nakase’s had the assistant coaches do the post-game speech, to give them opportunities to lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018Wow, I want that for my coaching staff.’ Where there’s no hierarchy,\u201d Nakase said after witnessing the Celtics coaching staff’s cohesion. \u201cI think when you have no hierarchy, it just keeps everyone grounded. [There’s] a sense of humility where no one’s bigger than the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Nakase talked not only with Mazzulla but also with his assistants. They explained to her that \u201cJoe’s just like one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has a voice, everyone is empowered, and that’s what I got to take. Along with a lot of other things,\u201d Nakase said, hinting at some potential tactical and schematic insight from the Celtics’ mastermind. \u201cBut that was the main thing I really wanted to ingrain in my culture.\u201d<\/p>\n