When analyzing an expert participant, we frequently dig into their previous to raised perceive who they’ve develop into. We delve into statistics to elucidate sure facets of their sport. 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 College, after which head to West Virginia. There, we’ll 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. In the beginning, he was a pupil — a pupil of the sport and a pupil of life. His coach, Jamal Gomes, described him with these phrases: “character, willpower, grit, toughness, intelligence.” We additionally know that Joe was an amazing 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 instructed 7 Information WHDH that in a free throw, Joe approached him and stated, “Hey coach, they’re in a matchup zone. I believe you may need to do that offense.” He was already specializing in technique. As Gomes stated, he had an ‘it’ issue.
On the finish of highschool, Joe Mazzulla, a two-star prospect, acquired affords from 5 universities: Boston College, George Mason, George Washington, Rhode Island, and naturally, West Virginia. Joe in the end 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 acquired steerage from two West Virginia College legends: Jerry West and Bob Huggins. Time, expertise, and arduous work have been the components that helped Joe Mazzulla develop into the participant, coach, and man he’s right this moment. 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 many of the video games. So, what was Joe Mazzulla’s influence 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 sport participant.” Most of his largest scoring video games got here in opposition to the perfect groups within the nation. There’s this 2010 sport in opposition to John Wall when he scored 17 factors (a career-high at the moment) whereas enjoying behind a 1-3-1 zone. Humorous sufficient, he was the participant who prompt the 1-3-1 zone to Huggins.
Possibly this sport is the perfect allegory of his teaching profession up to now. He began this sport to switch 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 function 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 in opposition to Kemba Walker’s UConn in 2011 — and completed his NCAA profession with a career-high 20 factors in opposition to Brandon Knight’s Kentucky Wildcats. Nonetheless, we’re right here to investigate the general participant, not simply Mazzulla’s highlights. Exterior of those legendary video games, Mazzulla had nice intangible high quality, but in addition 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 charge. With the ability to get to the FT line reveals nice skill to take advantage of defensive breakdowns. Mazzulla’s FTAR was as much as 0.871 in his final season. To provide context, the guard with the very 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 amazing skill to get to the rim. Nonetheless, Joe had limits. Two of them might need value him an extended profession: Mazzulla wasn’t an amazing shooter and wasn’t tall sufficient to make up for it.
Defenses typically ignored him past the three-point line. Whereas he often 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 steadily, 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 may make Andrew Bogut envious.
He was additionally an off-ball menace, excelling at chopping 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 strong 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 novel defender. He might apply full-court stress, keep linked off-ball, and excel behind a 1-3-1 zone.
Taking advantage of ‘it’
Nonetheless, no matter his limitations, Joe Mazzulla was a “large sport participant” that might influence the sport in some ways. This interprets properly to the coach he turned and makes me perceive higher what he noticed in Vacation: possibly a bit 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 influence final yr, none have been inefficient. In a league the place effectivity is the last word aim, this reveals nice skill to create the perfect atmosphere for a gaggle of gamers. Sure, Brad Stevens constructed a strong 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 finest 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. Generally, life has its personal plans, plans that we are able to’t management. However, like Joe Mazzulla, we are able to concentrate on what we management and take a look at our greatest to profit from it.
