Joe Mazzulla on Nikola Vucevic Boston Celtics return challenges
The return of veteran Boston Celtics big man Nikola Vucevic from a broken ring finger just weeks after being dealt to the team from the Chicago Bulls was not exactly off to a sizzling start in his first few games back. But in Boston's 144-118 blowout of the New Orleans Pelicans at TD Garden this past Friday (April 10) night, Vooch started to look more like the player the Celtics were hoping to trade for. The Montenegrin center logged 14 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and a block in 19 minutes of floor time, going 5-of-7 overall and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
That marked improvement caught the attention of Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla, who had plenty to say about Vucevic postgame. "I think ... we underestimate how difficult it was," said Mazzulla.
"For the transition that he made going from Chicago where he’s starting and has developed habits and has a ton of knowns and has a lot of comfortability," he added, "and coming to a completely different situation where he’s coming off the bench and trying to figure it out and different systems and playing with different types of players. " "You can't underestimate the time that it takes to be able to do that, especially for a veteran that’s been around a long time, and I think the way he’s handled it has been tremendous for us," said Mazzulla. "So you know you go from that transition to an injury to back, you just have to simplify.
" "To me, when he plays with the level of physicality defensively and his rebounding, his screening, and shot making, it’s going to make us a different team. He’s continuing to get better at that. " Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Blue Wire: https://tiny.
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