This whole thing easily could have gone sideways.
News of Ime Udoka's suspension just before the 2022-23 season rocked many Boston Celtics players, and when Brad Stevens named assistant Joe Mazzulla the interim head coach, there was plenty of outside skepticism about the 34-year-old's ability to have success with a shaken group in his very first NBA head coach job.
All Mazzulla did was guide the Celtics to 57 wins -- their most in a regular season since 2008-09 -- and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a deep roster that appears poised for another deep playoff run.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE So, how was a rookie head coach (who didn't have his interim tag removed until February) able to get buy-in from Celtics players, many of whom enjoyed playing for Udoka last season? In an exclusive interview with Chris Forsberg on a new Celtics Talk Podcast, Mazzulla credited the players for being open to his coaching.
Celtics Talk: Joe Mazzulla on Year 1 as Celtics coach and the challenge ahead | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I'm just grateful. From Day 1, I felt that they were going to give me a chance. So I'm appreciative of that," Mazzulla told Forsberg.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Mazzulla also said self-awareness played a factor in understanding that his words and actions all have an impact.
"I also don't take for granted how fragile an NBA locker room is, how fragile a head coach-player relationship is, and how fragile the head coach-locker room relationship is," Mazzulla said. "There's a fragility there, and you have to be able to manage that. I understood that challenge, so I was grateful to them that from Day 1, I felt the opportunity.
"And I felt moments of testing. 'OK, here's a test, here's an opportunity.' But I felt a lot of moments of like, 'We have your back.' So, I'm just grateful for that. It's easy when you have a locker room like we do."
Mazzulla is the longest-tenured Celtics coach on staff after joining the team in 2019, and he has head coach experience at the college level with Fairmont State (2017 to 2019). So, he wasn't totally thrown into the deep end.
Still, it's a testament to the players' leadership and maturity that they didn't miss a beat in the transition from Udoka to Mazzulla, showing Mazzulla a level of respect that allowed him to do his job well. From Malcolm Brogdon accepting a bench role to Jayson Tatum repeatedly stressing that a championship is his No. 1 priority, the Celtics all appear willing to put their egos aside for a common goal: Banner 18.
To hear more from Mazzulla on the value of losing, his fierce competitive streak and more, subscribe to the Celtics Talk Podcast or watch on YouTube below.