Going into the season, the words “gap year” and “Celtics” always seemed to be linked. Jayson Tatum was going to miss the majority of the season, and over the summer, Boston had saved a lot of money jettisoning its front line (Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet) as well as Jrue Holiday.
Instead, the Boston Celtics won 56 games and had a top-five offense and defense.
That was enough to earn Joe Mazzulla his first Coach of the Year award — although Mazzulla is not a fan of the award and has called it “stupid” and said it should be a staff or organizational award.
Coach of the Year from the Staff of the Year 👏 pic.twitter.com/p1Yp5k1C9Q
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 26, 2026
Mazzulla beat out the Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff, who finished second. San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson — who was focused on other things Tuesday night when the award was announced. Charlotte’s Charles Lee was fourth in the voting and the Suns’ Jordan Ott fifth.
While some online will undoubtedly try to dent Mazzulla’s win by pointing to the Celtics first-round exit from the playoffs (and the questions about style of play that followed), this vote was taken before the playoffs started. This is a regular-season award.
Mazzulla had 62 first-place votes from the panel of 100 media members, and was on 96 of the ballots. Bickerstaff had 29 first-place votes and Johnson nine.
Mazzulla is the fourth Celtics coach to win the Coach of the Year award and the first since Bill Fitch in 1979-80. The other two to win it are Hall of Famers Red Auerbach (1964-65) and Tommy Heinsohn (1972-73). Mazzula, 37, also is the youngest NBA Coach of the Year since Phil Johnson in 1974-75.
