When analyzing knowledgeable participant, we frequently dig into their previous to higher perceive who they’ve turn into. We delve into statistics to clarify sure elements of their sport. We examine their highschool and school careers or previous passions to seize the current.
However what if we did the identical for a coach? Higher but, what a couple of sofa that was a former participant?
Let’s embark on this journey into the previous. We’ll cross by Bishop Hendricken Excessive College, after which head to West Virginia. There, we are going to scout, analyze, and get to know Joe Mazzulla earlier than he turned Coach Mazzulla.
“He had an ‘it’ issue”
In highschool, Joe Mazzulla wasn’t only a basketball participant. In the beginning, he was a pupil — a pupil of the sport and a pupil of life. His coach, Jamal Gomes, described him with these phrases: “character, willpower, grit, toughness, intelligence.” We additionally know that Joe was an excellent athlete. He was so fast that he gained a state championship within the 400-meter run.
Sadly, I couldn’t discover sufficient video of his highschool video games. Nevertheless, we all know that even again then, Joe had a training mindset and was already studying the sport. Gomes advised 7 Information WHDH that in a free throw, Joe approached him and mentioned, “Hey coach, they’re in a matchup zone. I believe you would possibly wish to do that offense.” He was already specializing in technique. As Gomes mentioned, he had an ‘it’ issue.
On the finish of highschool, Joe Mazzulla, a two-star prospect, acquired gives from 5 universities: Boston College, George Mason, George Washington, Rhode Island, and naturally, West Virginia. Joe finally selected WVU.
“Nation roads, take me residence”
Right here we’re at West Virginia College the place Joe Mazzulla performed 5 seasons from 2006 to 2011. Over these years, he skilled highs and lows — from heroics in 2008 to challenges in 2009, after which again to heroics in 2010. Between success and overachievement dur March Insanity, Joe Mazzulla additionally handled off-court points.
All through these ups and downs, Joe acquired steerage from two West Virginia College legends: Jerry West and Bob Huggins. Time, expertise, and exhausting work had been the elements that helped Joe Mazzulla turn into the participant, coach, and man he’s immediately. Throughout 5 seasons, Joe performed 2,649 minutes for WVU. What do these minutes inform us concerning the participant he was? Let’s dive into the numbers earlier than heading to the movie room.
In his first 4 seasons, he began solely seven video games. Then, in his final season, he ended up being a starter for a lot of the video games. So, what was Joe Mazzulla’s affect on the courtroom? What archetype of participant was he?
Surprising Joe
I attempt to keep away from narrative when scouting a participant however I’ve to confess, Joe Mazzulla constructed a robust repute as a “large sport participant.” Most of his largest scoring video games got here in opposition to the perfect groups within the nation. There may be this 2010 sport in opposition to John Wall when he scored 17 factors (a career-high at the moment) whereas taking part in in the back of a 1-3-1 zone. Humorous sufficient, he was the participant who recommended the 1-3-1 zone to Huggins.
Possibly this sport is the perfect allegory of his teaching profession thus far. He began this sport to interchange an injured starter and carried West Virginia residence, not in contrast to changing Ime Udoka in 2022 and carrying the Celtics residence two years later. Already within the NCAA, Joe Mazzulla was able to take an even bigger function when nobody thought he was ready for it.
There have been different large video games when he stepped up in scoring. He had 18 factors in opposition to Kemba Walker’s UConn in 2011 — and completed his NCAA profession with a career-high 20 factors in opposition to Brandon Knight’s Kentucky Wildcats. Nevertheless, we’re right here to research the general participant, not simply Mazzulla’s highlights. Exterior of those legendary video games, Mazzulla had nice intangible high quality, but additionally some limitations.
Joe by the numbers
Mazzulla was 6’2” with a robust left hand. Defenses knew they needed to push him proper as a lot as attainable, however Joe was a artful participant. One nice indicator of this craftiness was his free throw try price. Having the ability to get to the FT line exhibits nice potential to take advantage of defensive breakdowns. Mazzulla’s FTAR was as much as 0.871 in his final season. To present context, the guard with the best FTAR within the NBA final season was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 0.436.
After all, the competitors was completely different then, however this exhibits an excellent potential to get to the rim. Nevertheless, Joe had limits. Two of them might need price him an extended profession: Mazzulla wasn’t an excellent shooter and wasn’t tall sufficient to make up for it.
Defenses typically ignored him past the three-point line. Whereas he often made them pay, the numbers don’t lie. Over 145 NCAA video games, Joe tried solely 92 threes, making simply 29% of them. Nevertheless, he contributed in ways in which most 6’2” guards sometimes don’t.
A contemporary large man trapped in a 6’2” body
At WVU, Joe dealt with the ball often, however wasn’t a ball-dominant participant. As soon as the offense was set, he typically handed the ball off and have become an lively off-ball participant. Joe set loads of screens — there’s footage of him screening DeMarcus Cousins that might make Andrew Bogut envious.
He was additionally an off-ball menace, excelling at reducing and discovering house to assault. Furthermore, he typically positioned himself within the publish — to not rating, however to draw defenders and create house for his teammates.
Now think about an NBA guard who can carry the ball, publish as much as create benefits, set stable screens, and play sensible off the ball… You’d get the 2024 model of Jrue Vacation. To push the metaphor additional, Joe Mazzulla was a singular defender. He might apply full-court strain, keep linked off-ball, and excel at the back of a 1-3-1 zone.
Taking advantage of ‘it’
Nonetheless, no matter his limitations, Joe Mazzulla was a “large sport participant” that would affect the sport in some ways. This interprets properly to the coach he turned and makes me perceive higher what he noticed in Vacation: perhaps a bit of himself.
Final season, among the many Celtics gamers with vital minutes, all of them had a real capturing share above league common. This implies, throughout all gamers who had an affect final yr, none had been inefficient. In a league the place effectivity is the last word objective, this exhibits nice potential to create the perfect atmosphere for a bunch of gamers. Sure, Brad Stevens constructed a stable roster with historic spacing. Nevertheless, this roster nonetheless had limits. Nonetheless, Mazzulla was in a position to profit from it; per PBP Stats, the 2023-2024 Celtics had been the seventh greatest Relative Offensive Effectivity since 2000-2001.
Mazzulla made probably the most of ‘it’ as a participant and now as a head coach within the NBA. Typically, life has its personal plans, plans that we will’t management. However, like Joe Mazzulla, we will concentrate on what we management and check out our greatest to profit from it.
