In the NBA, running has long been the universal punishment. Miss a rotation? Run. Lose a scrimmage? Run. But under Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, the rules of practice have been flipped upside down.
On the White Noise Podcast, guard Derrick White revealed one of Mazzulla’s most unconventional methods: the winners of scrimmages and drills don’t get to rest, they run.
“Usually the losers run,” White explained. “But we did this thing where the winners run. You’re getting rewarded by running. [Mazzulla] was like, ‘We’ve got to change our mindset that running is our reward, and we don’t get to stand by and just watch.’”
Joe Mazzulla used make the winners of scrimmages run to “reward them with running” and to “change their mindset”.
Absolutely bonkers. (via @kicks) pic.twitter.com/tatYyG4JJz
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 25, 2025
For Mazzulla, the philosophy is simple: winning isn’t the end of the work, it’s the beginning. By making the winners run, he reframes effort not as a punishment but as a privilege. The message is clear — success demands more, not less.
White admitted that at first the approach felt strange, even counterintuitive. But over time, the players began to embrace it. “It was a cool message,” he said. “If you win, you can’t relax. There’s always another obstacle.”
The drill reflects Mazzulla’s broader coaching style, one that emphasizes resilience and constant growth. Since taking over in 2022, he has pushed the Celtics to see the game not as a series of peaks and valleys, but as a continuous climb. That mindset helped Boston capture the 2024 NBA championship, their first in over a decade.
By redefining what it means to “earn” something in practice, Mazzulla is instilling a culture where complacency has no place. Winning a drill doesn’t mean you’ve arrived — it means you’ve unlocked the right to keep pushing.
The philosophy resonates beyond basketball. In a league where players are conditioned to see running as punishment, Mazzulla’s inversion challenges them to rethink effort itself. It’s not about avoiding discomfort; it’s about embracing it as part of the reward.
For the Celtics, it’s another reminder that their coach doesn’t just want them to win games — he wants them to win the grind.
