The Boston Celtics may be feeling good about themselves during training camp, but Joe Mazzulla is not putting much stock into early-season harmony.
Boston’s head coach acknowledged the positive energy surrounding his team, yet made it clear that chemistry cannot truly be judged before adversity arrives. From Mazzulla’s perspective, every NBA locker room tends to feel connected in October because nobody has been benched, blamed for losses or forced to deal with an extended stretch of frustration.
“Every team you lead is the most together team right now,” Mazzulla said. “Because we haven’t traveled. No one’s gotten benched. No one’s been on a losing streak. No one’s gotten blamed in the media.”
That is the test Mazzulla is waiting for. The Celtics underwent major changes during the offseason, most notably moving on from Jaylen Brown and reshaping the roster around Jayson Tatum. Boston has nevertheless opened camp with optimism, strong early chemistry and a sense of renewed energy around the group.
Mazzulla, however, believes the real identity of a team only becomes clear when things stop going smoothly.
“You can’t simulate those,” he said of the difficult moments that inevitably arrive during an NBA season. “We got to wait until stuff doesn’t go your way, and then you got to figure out who we are and how we’re going to be at our best.”
It is a very Mazzulla way of approaching training camp. Rather than celebrating a comfortable atmosphere in September and October, he is more interested in how players respond when minutes change, shots disappear, losses accumulate or outside criticism begins to build.
Boston is also using camp to establish new routines. According to reports, the Celtics have introduced mandatory 15-minute yoga sessions after arriving at hotels on road trips, another example of Mazzulla trying to build habits before the pressure of the regular season intensifies. For now, the Celtics appear to be enjoying life together. Mazzulla’s point is that enjoying each other when everything is going well is the easy part. The real measure of Boston’s chemistry will come when it isn’t.
