Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Named in Report During NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been head coach since 2022. However, his time with the Celtics dated back to 2019 when he was an assistant coach under Brad Stevens. That means he’s worked with Celtics players, both past and present, for some time.

Some players on the roster have reached a new level under Mazzulla, while others have thrived since leaving the Celtics, but may not have done so without Mazzulla’s tutelage. Even if Mazzulla isn’t their coach now, his influence helped them reach their potential.

That can extend to ex-Celtics who have gone far in the playoffs this year, even to those who have reached the NBA Finals.

That includes former Celtics lottery pick Aaron Nesmith, who has come along quite nicely with the Indiana Pacers. So much so that he’s played an undeniable role in how they made their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. ESPN’s Mike Breen revealed that Nesmith shouted out Mazzulla’s influence on the broadcast.

“[Nesmith] said somebody who made a huge impact on him was Joe Mazzulla,” Breen said, as pointed out by MassLive’s Brian Robb. “He said the guy was with me every day, he pushed me and pushed me. He made such a huge impact on him.”

One former Celtics prospect is still raving about his time working with Joe Mazzulla during the NBA Finals. https://t.co/jBflT0wsA5

— masslivesports (@masslivesports) June 14, 2025

Nesmith played for the Celtics from 2020 to 2022. They traded Nesmith to the Pacers for Malcolm Brogdon a few months before the Celtics hired Mazzulla as their interim head coach. Even if Mazzulla wasn’t his head coach, he was still under his tutelage for the first two seasons of his NBA career.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.