Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla found himself notably absent from the finalists’ list for the NBA Coach of the Year award, despite leading his team to an outstanding regular season record. Mazzulla finished just outside the top three in the recent voting, with Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault claiming the top spot, followed by Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic and Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the 2023-24 NBA Coach of the Year voting, Mazzulla garnered two first-place votes, 16 second-place votes, and 21 third-place votes. Despite guiding the Celtics to an impressive 64-18 record, boasting top rankings in offensive and defensive performance, and achieving the fifth-largest point differential in league history, Mazzulla’s candidacy was seemingly hindered by the perception of having a highly talented roster at his disposal.
The Celtics’ preseason expectations as one of the league’s elite teams might have diminished the recognition of Mazzulla’s coaching achievements, as meeting and even exceeding such expectations was deemed unsurprising. Nevertheless, given the caliber of the Celtics’ roster, Mazzulla’s candidacy for Coach of the Year remains promising for the future.
