“I think there’s times where I’ve had to prove myself to them, yes. “I think just because of me being here, I felt their trust from the beginning,” Mazzulla said. He said he approaches those difficult conversations with honesty, truth, respect, communication and understanding, and he’s been received well. Mazzulla may be a first-time head coach this season but his players seem to have full faith in his decisions on these matters, which may affect them individually. But I trust our locker room, I trust our team, and I trust that every individual here will handle it, and that winning is the most important thing.” So some of the stuff that gets ironed out at the beginning of the season is getting ironed out now for us. We have 18 games left and our starting lineup has only played 68 minutes (entering Friday). Most teams are dealing with what we’re dealing with. But our team has a humility and I’ve always said that and so we’re gonna rely on that to get where we want to get to. That doesn’t mean they can’t be mad about a decision. “So, from top to bottom our guys have a humility about them. “The one thing I’ve credited our team on the entire year is their humility and their understanding and their wanting to win,” Mazzulla said. From Malcolm Brogdon, who joined the C’s knowing he’d have to sacrifice playing time, to Payton Pritchard, who has been vocal about his displeasure in decreased playing time but has still maintained a professional mindset, that has shown itself in different ways. It was the latest example and reminder that on every night, sacrifices are required within this deep and talented group for the sake of their pursuit of a championship. Mazzulla explained the decision as matchup-based as he went with Mike Muscala and Sam Hauser off the bench instead of Williams, who is one of their best 3-point threats and versatile defenders. Williams had played in all 61 prior games he was available this season, and hadn’t received a DNP via coach’s decision since 2021. Still, Wednesday’s choice to not play Williams – who has become a fixture off the bench – was unexpected. Their depth is a strength, but with it comes hard decisions in regards to playing time. The Celtics have made sacrifices up and down the roster this season. So I’m OK with how people respond to certain things that happen to them, because it shows they care.” If you’re happy, then we have a bigger issue. “I think the most important thing is having the relationship and the second thing is just letting people feel how they want to feel,” Mazzulla said before Friday’s game against the Nets. But the C’s coach embraces that, and expects that reaction. Joe Mazzulla knows decisions like his surprise benching of Grant Williams in the Celtics’ victory over the Cavs on Wednesday night won’t make the player on the receiving end pleased.
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