Why NBA Writer Voted Celtics' Joe Mazzulla For Coach Of The Year
ESPN's Tim Bontemps cast his ballot for the Boston Celtics head coach.
Why NBA Writer Voted Celtics' Joe Mazzulla For Coach Of The Year originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Joe Mazzulla may not care much about the award, but he's a prime candidate to win Coach of the Year.
The Celtics lost several key players before seemingly embarking on a gap year during Jayson Tatum's recovery from an Achilles tear. They instead went 56-26 and begin the playoffs as betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference. ESPN's Tim Bontemps released his official ballots for the NBA's major end-of-season awards on Friday morning.
He explained why Mazzulla earned his Coach of the Year endorsement. "My vote went to Mazzulla because of how the Celtics recovered after losing several critical veteran players last summer -- Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday via trade and Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency -- and realigned the roster around a new set of talent," Bontemps said. "Jayson Tatum also missed most of the season while recovering from a right Achilles tear.
Tatum's fairly seamless reintegration into Mazzulla's lineups has been no small feat, either. " Bontemps placed Mazzulla first on his ballot ahead of Detroit Pistons' J. B.