Joe Mazzulla, the basketball participant

When analyzing knowledgeable participant, we frequently dig into their previous to higher perceive who they’ve turn out to be. We delve into statistics to clarify sure features of their recreation. We examine their highschool and school careers or previous passions to seize the current.

However what if we did the identical for a coach? Higher but, what a few sofa that was a former participant?

Let’s embark on this journey into the previous. We’ll cross by Bishop Hendricken Excessive Faculty, after which head to West Virginia. There, we are going to scout, analyze, and get to know Joe Mazzulla earlier than he turned Coach Mazzulla.

“He had an ‘it’ issue”

In highschool, Joe Mazzulla wasn’t only a basketball participant. Initially, he was a pupil — a pupil of the sport and a pupil of life. His coach, Jamal Gomes, described him with these phrases: “character, dedication, grit, toughness, intelligence.” We additionally know that Joe was an incredible athlete. He was so fast that he received a state championship within the 400-meter run.

Sadly, I couldn’t discover sufficient video of his highschool video games. Nonetheless, we all know that even again then, Joe had a training mindset and was already studying the sport. Gomes advised 7 Information WHDH that in a free throw, Joe approached him and mentioned, “Hey coach, they’re in a matchup zone. I believe you would possibly need to do this offense.” He was already specializing in technique. As Gomes mentioned, he had an ‘it’ issue.

On the finish of highschool, Joe Mazzulla, a two-star prospect, obtained gives from 5 universities: Boston College, George Mason, George Washington, Rhode Island, and naturally, West Virginia. Joe finally selected WVU.

“Nation roads, take me dwelling”

Right here we’re at West Virginia College the place Joe Mazzulla performed 5 seasons from 2006 to 2011. Over these years, he skilled highs and lows — from heroics in 2008 to challenges in 2009, after which again to heroics in 2010. Between success and overachievement dur March Insanity, Joe Mazzulla additionally handled off-court points.

All through these ups and downs, Joe obtained steering from two West Virginia College legends: Jerry West and Bob Huggins. Time, expertise, and onerous work have been the elements that helped Joe Mazzulla turn out to be the participant, coach, and man he’s right now. Throughout 5 seasons, Joe performed 2,649 minutes for WVU. What do these minutes inform us concerning the participant he was? Let’s dive into the numbers earlier than heading to the movie room.

In his first 4 seasons, he began solely seven video games. Then, in his final season, he ended up being a starter for a lot of the video games. So, what was Joe Mazzulla’s impression on the court docket? What archetype of participant was he?

Sudden Joe

I attempt to keep away from narrative when scouting a participant however I’ve to confess, Joe Mazzulla constructed a robust popularity as a “large recreation participant.” Most of his largest scoring video games got here towards the very best groups within the nation. There’s this 2010 recreation towards John Wall when he scored 17 factors (a career-high at the moment) whereas enjoying in the back of a 1-3-1 zone. Humorous sufficient, he was the participant who prompt the 1-3-1 zone to Huggins.

Possibly this recreation is the very best allegory of his teaching profession to this point. He began this recreation to exchange an injured starter and carried West Virginia dwelling, not not like changing Ime Udoka in 2022 and carrying the Celtics dwelling two years later. Already within the NCAA, Joe Mazzulla was able to take an even bigger position when nobody thought he was ready for it.

There have been different large video games when he stepped up in scoring. He had 18 factors towards Kemba Walker’s UConn in 2011 — and completed his NCAA profession with a career-high 20 factors towards Brandon Knight’s Kentucky Wildcats. Nonetheless, we’re right here to research the general participant, not simply Mazzulla’s highlights. Outdoors of those legendary video games, Mazzulla had nice intangible high quality, but additionally some limitations.

Joe by the numbers

Mazzulla was 6’2” with a robust left hand. Defenses knew they needed to push him proper as a lot as attainable, however Joe was a artful participant. One nice indicator of this craftiness was his free throw try fee. With the ability to get to the FT line reveals nice capacity to use defensive breakdowns. Mazzulla’s FTAR was as much as 0.871 in his final season. To present context, the guard with the best FTAR within the NBA final season was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 0.436.

In fact, the competitors was completely different then, however this reveals an incredible capacity to get to the rim. Nonetheless, Joe had limits. Two of them might need value him an extended profession: Mazzulla wasn’t an incredible shooter and wasn’t tall sufficient to make up for it.

Defenses typically ignored him past the three-point line. Whereas he sometimes made them pay, the numbers don’t lie. Over 145 NCAA video games, Joe tried solely 92 threes, making simply 29% of them. Nonetheless, he contributed in ways in which most 6’2” guards usually don’t.

A contemporary large man trapped in a 6’2” body

At WVU, Joe dealt with the ball regularly, however wasn’t a ball-dominant participant. As soon as the offense was set, he typically handed the ball off and have become an lively off-ball participant. Joe set loads of screens — there’s footage of him screening DeMarcus Cousins that will make Andrew Bogut envious.

He was additionally an off-ball risk, excelling at slicing and discovering area to assault. Furthermore, he typically positioned himself within the put up — to not rating, however to draw defenders and create area for his teammates.

Now think about an NBA guard who can carry the ball, put up as much as create benefits, set stable screens, and play sensible off the ball… You’d get the 2024 model of Jrue Vacation. To push the metaphor additional, Joe Mazzulla was a singular defender. He may apply full-court strain, keep related off-ball, and excel at the back of a 1-3-1 zone.

Profiting from ‘it’

Nonetheless, no matter his limitations, Joe Mazzulla was a “large recreation participant” that might impression the sport in some ways. This interprets nicely to the coach he turned and makes me perceive higher what he noticed in Vacation: possibly somewhat of himself.

Final season, among the many Celtics gamers with vital minutes, all of them had a real capturing share above league common. This implies, throughout all gamers who had an impression final 12 months, none have been inefficient. In a league the place effectivity is the last word purpose, this reveals nice capacity to create the very best setting for a gaggle of gamers. Sure, Brad Stevens constructed a stable roster with historic spacing. Nonetheless, this roster nonetheless had limits. Nonetheless, Mazzulla was capable of profit from it; per PBP Stats, the 2023-2024 Celtics have been the seventh greatest Relative Offensive Effectivity since 2000-2001.

Mazzulla made probably the most of ‘it’ as a participant and now as a head coach within the NBA. Typically, life has its personal plans, plans that we are able to’t management. However, like Joe Mazzulla, we are able to give attention to what we management and check out our greatest to profit from it.