Joe Mazzulla named Japanese Convention Coach of the Month

The Celtics head coach earned the award for the fifth time in his profession.

The Celtics completed December with a 9-3 document. AP Picture/Charles Krupa

The Celtics proceed to impress within the NBA’s 2025-26 marketing campaign, regardless of followers and the media anticipating Boston to have a bridge 12 months coming into the season.

Boston’s newest achievement options head coach Joe Mazzulla, who was named December’s Japanese Convention Coach of the Month, the league introduced Friday.

Mazzulla helped information the Celtics to a 9-3 document final month, plus a NBA-best 124.3 offensive score. Boston earned victories in opposition to opponents such because the Toronto Raptors (on Dec. 7 and once more on Dec. 20) and the New York Knicks, discovering its approach to third place within the East coming into Friday.

In December, the Celtics discovered themselves atop the East in a number of statistics: win proportion (.750), subject purpose proportion (49.3%), internet score (11.0), and true taking pictures proportion (61.4%). Moreover, Boston ranked second in 3-pointers made per sport (15.9), third in blocks per sport (5.5), third in offensive rebounding proportion (32.9%), and fourth in defensive score (113.3).

These feats lent a hand in Mazzulla garnering the Coach of the Month award, which marked his fifth time incomes these honors. He has earned the accolade not less than as soon as in every of the 4 seasons since being named Celtics head coach in 2022.

Whereas the NBA has an early, however huge, candidate pool for Coach of the 12 months, there’s actually an opportunity Mazzulla may very well be thought of for the end-of-season award if Boston continues to pattern upward. The Celtics are simply 3.5 video games again of the first-place Detroit Pistons within the East coming into Friday and appear to maintain enjoying higher basketball with every contest.

Jaylen Brown shortly emerged because the group’s chief on and off the court docket to start the season as Jayson Tatum rehabs from his torn Achilles, and Brown is simply enhancing because the season progresses. In December, Brown averaged essentially the most factors per sport (31.7) to guide the NBA. He additionally notched 6.4 rebounds per sport, 5.4 assists, a 53.8 subject purpose proportion, and 42.6 three-point proportion final month.

Brown was the one participant within the East to common 30 factors/six rebounds/5 assists in December, and he has scored 30 or extra factors in 9 of his final 10 contests. Mazzulla has possible performed a significant function in serving to Brown attain this stage on the parquet.

It stays to be seen how Boston’s remaining 49 common season video games will play out, however the Celtics did kick off the brand new 12 months, and their West Coast highway journey, with a 120-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Brown scored 29 factors and Mazzulla highlighted his group’s second-half defensive effort after the sport.