Joe Mazzulla inherited a Boston Celtics roster fresh off a trip to the NBA Finals. He spent his first season learning the ropes as a head coach and working with a coaching staff who likely saw him as a peer rather than the team’s new leader. Over the summer, Brad Stevens revamped Mazzulla’s bench and gave him an even deeper pool of players to work with.
The upside is clear: the Celtics dominated the regular-season. They sprinted away with the first seed in the Eastern Conference. They clutched the best record in the league close to their chest.