Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla will reportedly be given a fair chance to become the full-time head coach of the team.

ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski discussed the situation Friday night on NBA Countdown, saying Mazzulla will have "every opportunity" to take the job:

Wojnarowski added that Mazzulla getting the job may be a "likelihood" if he and the team continue to be successful.

Shortly before the start of the 2022-23 regular season, Mazzulla was elevated from assistant coach to interim head coach when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire campaign.

Per Wojnarowski, the suspension stemmed from Udoka having an intimate relationship with a female Celtics staffer.

In his only season as an NBA head coach, Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record last season and a trip to the NBA Finals, where they fell 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors.

After spending time as an assistant coach at small colleges and in the NBA G League, Mazzulla served as the head coach at Division II Fairmont State for two seasons.

That led to his hiring by Boston as an assistant in 2019, and Udoka kept him in as part of the staff when Brad Stevens moved from the sidelines to the front office.

The 34-year-old Mazzulla has the reigning Eastern Conference champions off to a great start at 2-0 with victories over two of their biggest competitors in the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.

Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are performing at an MVP-caliber level through two games, while Grant Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart and Al Horford are pitching in significantly as well.

Wojnarowski reported Friday that the Celtics will not stand in Udoka's way if another team wants to hire him as a head coach or assistant coach while he is suspended.

That suggests the Celtics are comfortable with moving on, which means the front office likely has at least some degree of confidence in Mazzulla and his ability to keep Boston near the top of the NBA.

The Boston Celtics have started this year strong after wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.

Following Boston's 111-104 road win over Miami on Friday, Celtics star Jayson Tatum spoke with reporters about how he felt after his team fell to the Golden State Warriors in last season's NBA Finals.

Jayson Tatum: “Getting to the championship and losing was the worst feeling ever.”

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 22, 2022

The Celtics held a 2-1 series lead over the Warriors, who then proceeded to roll off three straight wins by an average of 11 points per game to close out the competition. Boston struggled offensively and averaged 93.7 points in its last three games.

Tatum shot just 36.7 percent for the series. He still averaged 21.5 points and led the C's with 7.0 assists per game, but the All-NBA First Teamer had a rough Finals overall.

Boston has started this year looking like a clear championship contender hungry for a title, though, thanks largely to Tatum, who has averaged 32 points over the first two games. Jaylen Brown is right behind him at 31.5 PPG.

On Friday, Tatum impressed on both ends (particularly in the second half) against Boston's Eastern Conference Finals opponent last year.

Jayson Tatum tonight:

— 29 PTS (18 in the 2nd half)
— 5 REBS (all in the 2nd half)
— 4 ASTS
— 1 STL
— 2 BLKS
— 10/22 FG pic.twitter.com/cOXbztuTS6

— JT Muse (@TatumMuse) October 22, 2022

Tatum's looking like a potential MVP candidate thus far, and the Celtics have the makings of an NBA powerhouse. They'll look to continue the good vibes Saturday evening at the Orlando Magic.

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics started the 2022-23 season on fire Tuesday thanks to a 126-117 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

On a night where the Celtics honored late franchise legend Bill Russell, Tatum delivered 35 points on 13-of-20 shooting alongside 12 rebounds and four assists. He took over in the third quarter with 17 points on 7-of-9 field goals alone.

Simply put, Tatum looked unstoppable at times against a 76ers squad expected to be one of the league's top Eastern Conference teams this year. Philadelphia had no answer for him defensively, especially in a third quarter where Boston outscored the visitors 35-25.

The season is only one game old, but Tatum even looked like he could be inserting himself into the MVP race as well. His offensive efficiency, rebounding and defensive effort led to a relatively stress-free fourth quarter en route to the win.

Tatum also got plenty of help from his teammates. Jaylen Brown matched Tatum's point total with 35 of his own, and Malcolm Brogdon impressed in his Celtics debut with 16 points. Grant Williams (15 points) and Marcus Smart (14 points, seven assists) also contributed.

But Tatum was the star Tuesday, and Twitter recognized the fact that it appears the Duke star has taken a big leap since last season, when he earned All-NBA First Team honors and led Boston to the Eastern Conference title.

Jayson Tatum tonight:

35 PTS
12 REB
13-20 FG

His first 35/12 game since 2019. pic.twitter.com/VX1wvQxhXZ

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 19, 2022

Most 30-point games by a Celtic before turning 25:

66 — Jayson Tatum
65 — Paul Pierce pic.twitter.com/vAAdRdjMTd

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 19, 2022

Jayson Tatum has been everywhere defensively early on for the Celtics. Getting involved in all sorts of stuff at that end, including nearly getting a steal off of Joel Embiid on that last possession.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 19, 2022

A couple of years ago, Jayson Tatum floaters were either left a foot short and he put way too much on them, that they had no chance.

You can see he's worked on that and getting low and going through guys when he drives.

There's another leap coming.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 19, 2022

Celtics fans watching Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take turns going off pic.twitter.com/vEaElWBZTc

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) October 19, 2022

Jayson Tatum MVP season loading

— 500 🏎 (@Kameron_Hay) October 19, 2022

PREMATURE EVALUATION: Jayson Tatum is opening up this season with the highest level of off-the-bounce aggressiveness of his career, and he's doing so with strength through contact. This is a significant development.

— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) October 19, 2022

Jayson Tatum finished 6th in 2022 MVP voting.

He's averaged 26.2 PTS, 7.8 REB, 5.6 AST, 1.1 STL and 1.1 BLK over the course of his last three playoff runs (46 games).

I got some pushback for putting him at No. 6 in my 2022-23 top 50. Feel pretty good about it right now.

— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) October 19, 2022

As the proud owner of a lot of Jayson Tatum MVP stock, I'm pretty pleased with tonight's game

— Cameron Tabatabaie (@CTabatabaie) October 19, 2022

Oh, Jayson Tatum poppin off the season with a different fire tonight. 31pts and looking TOUGHHHH #BleedGreen

— Amina Smith (@aminajadeTV) October 19, 2022

The Celtics will now head to Miami for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Heat on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Boston Celtics and Grant Williams did not reach an agreement on a rookie-scale extension by Monday's deadline, but the forward isn't letting frustration over the process linger heading into the 2022-23 campaign.

"When you look across the league, when you look at the role that I play in the players’ association, the idea is that you understand where the league is going in the future and you understand where the league is currently at," the NBPA vice president said, per The Athletic. "So for me, it wasn't a matter of life-changing money; it was a matter of value not only for this year but the years to come."

He also added: "I think that for both sides, we all negotiated to get to that point. And there was no ill will; there were no frustrations. It was one of those things that you just couldn't come to terms."

The Athletic noted both sides were looking at a potential four-year deal, but Williams' quotes suggest he kept his focus on setting a better precedent for the overall market moving forward.

It leaves his long-term future with the franchise up in the air, although Boston did pick up his team option for 2022-23 and could make him a restricted free agent next offseason by extending him a qualifying offer.

That could very well be what happens as the team attempts to control the contract of a valuable role player for as long as it can.

The University of Tennessee product also isn't closing the door on a longer deal down the line.

"It doesn't mean that a deal doesn't get done next year; it doesn't mean a deal won't get done in the future," he said. "So for us, it's just a matter of perspective."

Williams may just be hitting his prime at 23 years old. He is coming off the best season of his career in 2021-22 when he averaged 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from deep.

Yet it was his performance in the playoffs that truly underscored his worth, as he dropped double-digit points eight times during the run to the NBA Finals and provided quality defense on the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and others.

Most notably, Williams posted 26 points, six rebounds and seven three-pointers in the Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round after scoring 21 points with six three-pointers in Game 2.

The 6'6" forward's ability to stretch the floor from the frontcourt provides matchup problems for opposing defenses, and he figures to remain an important piece of the rotation early this season with Robert Williams III sidelined after undergoing knee surgery.

If Grant Williams takes advantage of that opportunity and remains a productive piece of Boston's frontcourt, a new contract could be waiting.

The Boston Celtics and Grant Williams are at an "impasse" in contract extension discussions with Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline on the horizon, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Williams would "likely" accept an extension worth between $14-15 million per year, sources told Scotto, but the Celtics are "unlikely" to offer the 23-year-old such a deal.

“For an extension now, he’s probably in the $12-14 million territory,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype of Williams. “I think $15 million is not out of the question, but definitely on the high end, and it means they’d think he’s going to be a starter.”

Scotto's report comes after Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that "there does not seem to be an extension coming" for Williams.

If Williams and the Celtics are unable to agree on an extension, Boston will likely extend a $6.2 million qualifying offer to the forward, making him a restricted free agent following the 2022-23 campaign.

Extending Williams a qualifying offer would allow the Celtics to match any deal opposing teams may offer him. If they don't match an offer, Williams will be moving on from Boston.

Williams emerged as a key contributor off the bench for Boston during the 2021-22 campaign, averaging 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and one assist in 77 games while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from deep.

The Celtics selected Williams in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft out of Tennessee. In 209 games across three seasons, he's averaging 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and one assist while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Williams will be a sought-after free agent over the summer if he and the Celtics don't agree to terms, especially if he takes another step forward in his development during the 2022-23 season.

Jayson Tatum is determined to not make his first NBA Finals experience his last.

“It was just a learning experience, learning a lesson,” Tatum told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Maybe do some things differently next time if you get to that point. Obviously, it's tough to learn a lesson that way, but it is what it is …

"It just fuels you. Motivates you to get back to that point."

Tatum was limited to just 21.5 points per game over the six-game series, shooting 36.7 percent from the floor as the Golden State Warriors defense thwarted nearly all of his efforts inside of the arc. While Tatum was able to stay involved offensively by averaging 7.0 assists per game, he spent most of the Finals being outperformed by teammate Jaylen Brown.

The three-time All-Star played through a shoulder injury and pain in his right wrist throughout the Finals but never made the issues public until the offseason.

"It affected me, but that's why I never talked about it," Tatum said. “I didn’t show people I was wearing a brace [off the court] because if I'm out there, if you playing, then you playing. So, if you can't play, then you can't play. It was June, so everybody was dealing with something. I wasn't the only guy out there that was banged up."

Tatum will likely have to take on an outsized leadership role on and off the court this season. Ime Udoka's suspension for multiple team policy violations leaves the Boston Celtics entering a season with a new head coach for the second straight year, which will force Tatum and Brown to step up as the true pillars of the locker room.

Tatum has largely been a lead-by-example player over the course of his career, with Marcus Smart being highlighted as the franchise's emotional leader. But the Finals showed emotional leadership can only go so far.

Tatum is the best player on the roster and has a chance to establish himself as the latest all-time great to wear a Celtics uniform. His next step will be embracing the role his play has earned him.

The Boston Celtics won't stand in Ime Udoka's path if the suspended head coach gets a chance to seek employment elsewhere.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news Friday:

"At a news conference last week, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said the suspension—which extends through June 30, 2023—was a product of multiple violations of team policies, and sources told ESPN the Celtics won't stand in Udoka's way should he have the chance to become a coaching candidate elsewhere. There are teams that have tried to gather a preliminary understanding of the full explanation for Udoka's suspension in preparation for possibly evaluating him for future coaching employment, sources told ESPN."

Wojnarowski reported on Sept. 21 that the suspension resulted from his role in an "intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise's staff."

Udoka joined the Celtics last year after nine seasons as an NBA assistant. He led Boston to an Eastern Conference title, its first since 2010.

Wojnarowski previously reported on other teams' potential interest in Udoka (h/t ClutchPoints).

"In talking to some other organizations today, he may become a candidate or a coach of interest for other jobs that might open or might become open during the season or certainly next season," Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter on Sept. 22.

Udoka does not plan to resign from the Celtics amid the suspension, per NBA insider Chris B. Haynes. He has since apologized for "putting the team in this difficult situation" and has accepted the suspension.

There's speculation and insight that Udoka has coached his last game with the Celtics. Of note, Brian Robb of MassLive reported on that front in a recent mailbag.

"At this point, I’d be pretty shocked if he did," Robb said in response to a question regarding whether he thought Udoka would coach the Celtics again. "Time will ultimately tell the tale on this front but wouldn’t surprise me to see the two sides eventually reach some sort of buyout of Udoka’s contract. Leaving a suspension open-ended after one season speaks volumes in my mind that there is far from a guarantee that he would ever be welcomed back."

In the meantime, assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will step in as the team's interim head coach. The 34-year-old, who starred for West Virginia as a guard en route to a 2010 Final Four berth, has worked as an assistant with Boston since 2019.

The C's open the season on Oct. 18 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin has reportedly joined the Boston Celtics for the 2022-23 NBA season.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that Griffin signed a one-year, fully guaranteed contract. The deal is for the veteran's minimum, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.

The Celtics are the 2009 No. 1 pick's fourth stop after his stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.

Here are some initial thoughts following the free-agent signing:

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Griffin Ticketed for Key Role amid Frontcourt Injuries

The Celtics frontcourt looked complete a month ago with Al Horford, Robert Williams III, Danilo Gallinari and Grant Williams leading the way, but injuries are already mounting.

Gallinari suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Italy national team, which could cause him to miss the entire season, and Robert Williams is expected to miss at least two months after undergoing knee surgery last week.

As a result, Boston is likely to feature more small-ball lineups with Jayson Tatum at the 4 and Horford at the 5, but Griffin gives it the option to play more traditional looks.

The 33-year-old University of Oklahoma product can fill a multitude of frontcourt roles, including as a stretch 4 or a defender of opposing 5s, and he also brings plenty of experience, including 67 postseason appearances, to the table.

That should allow him to play a fair amount of minutes, probably in the 20-25 range, as a multifaceted reserve until Williams returns.

Griffin, who averaged just 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 56 games for the Nets last season, is no longer the All-NBA performer he was in his prime and is more of a complementary contributor.

That said, he's still a solid pickup for the Celtics at this late stage of the offseason, especially given their glaring need up front.

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Celtics Taking No Chances with Championship Window Open

Boston could have tried to fill the hole left by Williams with a variety of internal options, including Luke Kornet, Noah Vonleh and Luka Šamanić.

But none of them have the proven track record of Griffin, and the Celtics are one of the NBA's top title contenders after they reached the NBA Finals last season. Playing it safe by bringing another veteran into the mix was the way to go.

That's not to say the other frontcourt reserves won't get minutes. The Celtics won't want to overextend Tatum or Horford since the franchise could have another year in which it plays more than 100 games.

Griffin's role may diminish as the frontcourt gets closer to full strength, and, barring a resurgent season, he may not crack the playoff rotation. Even if that's the case, he still makes a lot of sense as an insurance policy.

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Carmelo Anthony's Search for a New Team Continues

While the Celtics signed Griffin, they were linked to another marquee name after Williams' injury: Carmelo Anthony, who enjoyed success in a reserve role for the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

Melo averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 threes while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc in 69 games. It was a sign that he completed the transition to role player after so many years as a go-to scorer.

Like Griffin, the 38-year-old forward cannot provide the impact he once did, but there's little doubt he can still be valuable during the latter stages of his Hall of Fame career.

Anthony should find a team at some point, even if he has to wait until another injury arises, but time is running out for him to land on a roster before opening night Oct. 18.

The Boston Celtics are reportedly looking at two former head coaches to serve as assistants on Joe Mazzulla's staff for the 2022-23 season.

Per NBA reporter Marc Stein in his Substack Newsletter, the Celtics have shown interest in Frank Vogel and Terry Stotts as top assistants to help their interim head coach.

Stein did note Boston is "pessimistic" about the chances of hiring either one.

In addition to Vogel and Stotts, the Celtics pursued Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga to work on Mazzulla's staff.

Per Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, Larranaga is going to remain with the Clippers. He spent nine seasons with Boston as an assistant coach from 2012-21.

Mazzulla took over as interim head coach for the Celtics after Ime Udoka was suspended for the 2022-23 season on Sept. 22 for violations of team policies.

The 34-year-old Mazzulla is tied with Will Hardy of the Utah Jazz as the youngest head coaches in the NBA for the upcoming season. His only previous experience as a head coach was in college at Fairmont State from 2017-19.

Per ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Mazzulla is the youngest head coach to start a season with a team that reached the NBA Finals in the previous year since Bill Russell was hired as player-coach in Boston at the age of 32 for the 1966-67 campaign.

Brad Stevens hired Mazzulla as an assistant on his coaching staff in June 2019. After Stevens was promoted to president of basketball operations after the 2020-21 season, Udoka retained Mazzulla as an assistant.

Stotts sat out last season after parting ways with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 64-year-old has a 517-486 career record in 13 seasons as a head coach between the Blazers, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.

In May, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported Stotts wasn't interested in being an assistant when he was connected to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Vogel was fired as head coach of the Lakers in April after the team missed the playoffs with a 37-45 record. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the Celtics from 2001-04. The 49-year-old has 11 years of experience as a head coach between the Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.