The difference between this year and last year is stark for Joe Mazzulla. The expectations are the same in Boston, but the situation is completely different.
He was a frazzled assistant coach thrust into one of the biggest positions in professional sports when Ime Udoka was suspended a year ago. Mazzulla went through a series of growing pains during his first NBA season: He had a major reluctance to call timeouts, which cost his team some games. He was too reliant on the 3-point shot, which made the Celtics easier to defend, and he iced out Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard from the rotation, which limited his options in critical stretches.
Still, the Celtics won 57 regular-season games and reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals before disaster struck when Jayson Tatum sprained his ankle in the opening minutes of the deciding game.
Fast forward to Tuesday and Mazzulla returns for a second season, more secure and more relaxed. He is no longer surrounded by Udoka’s coaches and although that group did an admirable job last season, they came to Boston to coach with their friend, not Mazzulla, and they were also concerned about their long-term job status when Udoka departed.
Mazzulla retooled his staff by adding veteran assistant Charles Lee and Sam Cassell, and despite the raised expectations after the acquisition of Jrue Holiday, he appears more relaxed and more confident. His struggles last year were understandable, and perhaps his stubbornness cost the Celtics in the long run, but he is focused on using last year’s ups and downs as motivation and education for ascension in his second season.
With his “Serious Joe” look, Mazzulla implored his team to take 50 3-point shots per game last season. He wanted to bombard opponents with 3-pointers, an analytical approach that sometimes resulted in offensive predictability. The Celtics averaged 42.6 3-pointers per game during the regular season and 38.7 during the playoffs.
Mazzulla was asked Tuesday whether he still subscribes to that “50 or die trying” philosophy.
“Was it really? Who said that?” Mazzulla joked about that number. “I said 50 a game? I said that? When? I said we had to shoot 50? So what I love to do and what we are doing are two different things. I’d love to do a lot of things.”
Even Mazzulla had to acknowledge that 50 was a little lofty, but the Celtics’ additions in personnel offers him more offensive options. The presence of Kristaps Porzingis gives Mazzulla an opportunity to be more effective in the paint.
Of Porzingis’s 1,018 shots last season with the Wizards, 35 percent were 3-pointers. And he shot 56 percent from the field on 2-point shots. The Heat stifled the Celtics at times with their zone defense during the Eastern Conference finals.
The Nuggets countered that zone in the NBA Finals by placing former MVP Nikola Jokic at the top of the key and allowing him to shoot open 15-footers. Porzingis could fill that same role.
“Listen, 3-pointers are an extremely important shot in the game and if you look at our roster, we have nine guys that shoot over 38 percent from three,” Mazzulla said. “And we just acquired a center [Porzingis] who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league and at his position. So it’s gonna be a strength of ours — our ability to shoot the ball.”
Mazzulla said the Celtics will develop and grow offensively as will their coach.
“What we were able to take from last year is we have to have times where the 3-point shot is important and we have to make them, and there’s times where we have to play a little bit differently whether it’s in the fourth quarter or whether it’s in a close-game situation,” he said. “The addition of Porzingis and Jrue and all the guys that we have in our spacing will allow us to go to those post-ups; try to get to the free throw lines. If you look at our roster, there’s 2-on-1s all over the floor [in potential mismatches] and we have to take the best possible shot. If that’s a three, that’s great. In close games, we have to be able to make tough twos and we have to be able to get to the free throw line.”
He joked: “And if I said 50, then shame on me. I want 55.”
One thing Mazzulla emphasizes is the process of chemistry, developing an effective style, and improving on defense has to occur quickly. He has not become more patient with experience. With a veteran club prepared to win now, Mazzulla wants to win, starting with the preseason.
“Patience isn’t one of my strong suits,” he said. “I think open-minded is the thing. There’s certain things we don’t have time to be patient on. There’s certain things that will take time in order to grow. I think our effort, our defensive communication, our connectivity, sharing the ball, all those things no matter where you play, everyone is preaching them, so they should happen on Day One. And some of the other stuff you should be able to work out and grow through it.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.