CLEVELAND — Joe Mazzulla doesn’t typically speak at Celtics shootaround.
But standing by the court at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Mazzulla had something he wanted to share: for the first time in his head-coaching tenure, he decided to give his assistant coaches the responsibility of coaching the team in a preseason game.
Tony Dobbins will coach the first half of Thursday’s preseason game between the Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and DJ MacLeay will coach the second half. Mazzulla, meanwhile,
will watch the game from the locker room.
“I want to give them the opportunity to be able to just build themselves as coaches,” Mazzulla said. “Both those guys had head coaching interviews this past summer, and I want them to be able to build on that.”
Both Dobbins and MacLeay were interviewed for the Dallas Mavericks head coaching position, with Dobbins among the finalists. And both coaches have previously served as Celtics Summer League head coaches; Dobbins in 2023 and MacLeay in 2024.
Now, they’ll both coach an NBA game for the very first time. Mazzulla said he decided to have them coach preseason games over the summer, after they interviewed for other head coaching positions.
“To me that’s a huge testament to them and the work that they do,” Mazzulla said. “And so, you’re just always looking for opportunities to give them more experience. And sometimes, the only experience is being out there on the sideline. So, I want to give that to them. They deserve it. They earned it. They’re great at what they do. I think we have one of the best staffs.”
Sam Cassell, Mazzulla’s lead assistant, will coach the Celtics’ final preseason game, an October 16th matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Mazzulla said he stands to benefit from watching the game from the Celtics locker room
“I’ll stay quiet,” Mazzulla said, noting that he’ll be watching the game from the video coordinators’ perspective. “I’ll watch it in the back with some of the guys that won’t play, and the video guys who do the halftime edits and just really see what I don’t see when they’re out there. So, it’s just as much for me as it is for them.”
Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay have both established themselves as two of the team’s most important assistants
In addition to being a member of the Celtics’ defense, Tony Dobbins served as Jayson Tatum’s individual coach over the past season. Celtics players have routinely lauded his character off the court.
“He’s one of the best people you’ll ever be around,” Tatum said last year.
“As far as human beings go? He’s one of the most patient people I’ve been around,” Payton Pritchard said. “I don’t think you could ever say something bad about him.”
Mazzulla said the MacLeay has grown significantly as a leader over the years; the 32-year-old has led the Celtics’ defense for the past few seasons while also serving as Luka Garza’s player development coach.
“DJ has done a great job leading our defense team and helping some of the young coaches develop and bringing people along with him,” Mazzulla said.
The players, for one, are excited by the wrinkle.
“I think it’s awesome,” Garza said. “We hear a lot from Tony and DJ all the time, so it’s cool to see them have that opportunity.”
Mike Conley hasn’t worked with Dobbins and MacLeay quite as long, but he nonetheless appreciated the sentiment behind Mazzulla’s decision.
“Joe’s a guy that seems like he just empowers everybody around him, players and coaches included,” Conley said. “So D-Mac and Tony getting that opportunity tonight, I know it’s going to be a good chance for them to just feel what it’s like.”
Celtics-Cavaliers will tip off at 7pm ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and Dobbins and MacLeay will be front and center.
“I’m excited for them,” Mazzulla said. “And I want them to continue to grow.”
