PHOTO USA Today Sports Images It took Joe Mazzulla just two seasons to prove he had what it takes to be an NBA coach.
Mazzulla was thrust into the spotlight in September 2022 when the Boston Celtics named him interim coach after Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for the entire 2022-23 campaign for violating organizational policies.
Just 21 months later, the Celtics, under the guidance of a 35-year-old Mazzulla whose interim tag was removed in February 2023, hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy to mark their 18th title in franchise history.
But this kind of success is rare.
Many coaches have waited more than two years to make their mark, and here are three who need to do so this season if they want to polish their reputations.
Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks
When it comes to making title contenders fall short of expectations, no one does it better than Rivers.
Rivers has been coaching big-time teams since the 2013-14 season, when he saw his Los Angeles Clippers go 57-25 in the regular season before losing in the Western Conference semifinals.
Since then, despite the presence of talents like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid, Rivers has never been able to lead a team to the Finals. took over in Milwaukee in Januarythe Bucks went just 17-19 last season under his leadership.
Milwaukee was then eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Any team with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard should be — at a minimum — one of the final four teams standing in the Eastern Conference. If Rivers can’t help the Bucks make a solid playoff run this time around, we may never see him as a coach again.
Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
source: Getty Images The Splash Brothers are no more.
Aging Klay Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks in June via a sign-and-trade deal, leaving star guard Stephen Curry as one of the last remaining pieces of Golden State’s dynasty that dominated from 2014-22.
Draymond Green is still around, of course, when he’s not facing a suspension for turning a game into a cage match.
However, this Warriors team is a shadow of what it once was.
Kerr has seemingly been carried by Curry, Thompson and at one point, Kevin Durant, throughout his coaching career. With the teams Golden State has had over the last decade, you could put a third-year student in as coach and they would probably do just fine.
Kerr finally has a chance to show he knows what he’s doing, but if he fails, don’t expect the criticism to be light.
Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks
Credits: Maddie Meyer | source: Getty Given the way New York fans have behaved this offseason, you’d think the Knicks had already won a championship.
New York traded Mikal Bridges in July, placing him alongside Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson to form a formidable starting five. Additionally, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo will come off the bench, making the The Knicks, a serious threat in the East.
But this team isn’t going anywhere if Thibodeau wears his guys out by mid-March.
Thibodeau has a history of playing his starters excessively, but with New York’s solid second unit, hopefully that will change this year. If not, Thibodeau could find himself branded as public enemy No. 1 in the Big Apple.
