Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy has been appointed as a senior adviser by the Boston Celtics, and head coach Joe Mazzula is delighted to work with the 61-year-old.
“Anytime you can add like high-character, high-level, professional people, I think it’s a no-brainer,” Mazzulla said in an interview. “We’re fortunate that he’s here, not just for the coaching staff, but for everyone, and he’s been through every imaginable situation in the NBA, in coaching, in FIBA, in the NBA, and we’re just lucky to have him.” He’s also an excellent listener and worker. So, even in the first few weeks, he’s added a lot of value.”During his coaching career, Van Gundy coached the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets. He was 430-318 in the regular season and 44-44 in the postseason.
“Try to run a lot of stuff by him,” Mazzulla said. “It’s good to get a guy who hasn’t been here before that can kind of have an unbiased opinion as to where he thinks things are, and where they need to go. And so he’s kind of like a fresh set of eyes because he’s not around all the time. And he’s looking at it from an unbiased position, which kind of gives us an advantage because you kind of see it in a different perspective.”
The Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Finals in seven games. They made a bevy of moves in the offseason, trading Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks. Boston also acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards and Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Celtics are expected to start Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Porzingis this season.
