Joe Mazzulla has found another way to review his work. Basically, he’s asking artificial intelligence whether he spent practice doing what he said the Celtics needed to do.
It’s a reasonable question, even if most coaches probably wouldn’t explain it quite like Mazzulla.
“I think it’s more to learn from your former self,” Mazzulla said on 98.5 The Sports Hub, as transcribed by Bobby Manning of CLNS Media. “So I’ll throw in last year’s practice plan and be like, was that efficient?”
For Mazzulla, the exercise involves checking whether his priorities actually showed up in the schedule.
“Like you could say we have to get better at offensive rebounding, but if it’s only 5% of your practice plan, then you’re not really emphasizing what you have to get better at,” he said.
In other words, saying something matters and spending time on it aren’t necessarily the same thing. Mazzulla wants to know when his own plans failed that test.
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He’s also examining how Boston uses halftime, including whether reviewing first-half mistakes always prepares players for what comes next.
“Because we watch film sometimes, but it’s a reactive film session because we’re watching film of plays that already happened, not plays that may happen,” he said.
The Celtics are 3-1 heading into Friday’s home game against the Bulls. Their coach, meanwhile, is looking for ways to improve the work between games, too.
“It’s how can it help me learn from my past and make me better?” Mazzulla said.
That’s a useful assignment for any coach. Mazzulla just happens to have another place to submit the questions.
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