Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics has won the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year award, the league announced on Tuesday. This is Mazzulla’s first Coach of the Year victory and, somewhat surprisingly, the first win by a Celtics coach in more than 40 years. Red Auerbach, Tommy Heinsohn and Bill Fitch all won the award for Boston, but none later than 1980.
Mazzulla, therefore, breaks a 46-year drought here for the Celtics, though he does so somewhat unenthusiastically. When asked about the award in March, Mazzulla declared his distaste for its very existence. “I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said. “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. The players play. It’s about them. Staff work their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”
Despite Mazzulla’s protests, his case for the award was undeniable as he took 62 of the 100 first-place votes and bested J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons for the top spot in the voting. The Celtics entered last postseason as championship favorites, but when Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles during Boston’s second-round loss to the New York Knicks, they quickly pivoted off of their championship core. Key veterans Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet were offloaded to help the Celtics eventually duck both the second apron and the luxury tax. With limited resources to spend on replacing those players, the Celtics were left with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and the players they developed internally using late draft picks and cheap free-agent deals.
Entering the season, the Celtics were expected to be, at best, a Play-In team. Their preseason win total projection was 41.5. By comparison, the lowly Indiana Pacers were at 37.5. Indiana, like Boston, opened the season with its best player, Tyrese Haliburton, recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. The Pacers finished the season with the NBA’s second-worst record (19-63), and quite a few observers similarly expected the Celtics to take a so-called gap year, collect a high draft pick and come back strong next season.
Instead, the Celtics won 56 games. Mazzulla’s 3-point-heavy style and dominance in the possession game gave Boston a night-to-night edge that few teams could compete with. The Celtics ranked third in the NBA in rebounding rate despite entering the season without a proven center, and they ranked third-lowest in turnover rate despite not having an All-Star guard. Even with the bulk of last year’s defensive core out, the Celtics still managed to rank No. 4 in the league in defense. Only the Denver Nuggets were more efficient on offense. Unheralded players like Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh turned into key contributors on Mazzulla’s watch.
Boston ultimately lost its first-round series to the Philadelphia 76ers, ending Mazzulla’s pursuit of a second championship ring for the time being. But this award measures only the regular season, and no coach did better under the circumstances they were dealt than Mazzulla. It’s a cold comfort in light of the season’s ending, but it’s well-deserved recognition for one of the league’s best coaches.
