Boston Celtics: 3 thoughts on the start of the 2022-23 season

The Boston Celtics 2022-23 season has kicked off, and through their first first eight games, the team has looked as good as advertised. If it weren’t for two overtime losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics outlook would be much rosier than it is now.

There has been a lot of good for Boston early, and while they have suffered some tough losses recently, there’s no reason to think this team isn’t destined for another deep playoff run this season. With their first few games of the season officially in the books, let’s take a look at three thoughts on the C’s start to the 2022-23 campaign.

Boston Celtics thought No. 3: Joe Mazzulla deserves to get some time to figure things out

Considering the circumstances of his arrival at the head of the Celtics roster, Joe Mazzulla has done a pretty good job to start his head coaching career. There have been holes that have popped up in Boston’s three losses, but Mazzulla has stepped up early on and taken charge of a team that could have been reeling from the sudden suspension of their beloved coach Ime Udoka.

Mazzulla hasn’t been perfect, but nobody is going to be to begin their head coaching career. He’s struggling to fill out the backend of his rotation, particularly in the frontcourt, and has a strange refusal to call timeouts when literally everyone is urging him to. These things will be figured out eventually, but Mazzulla also has the benefit of having stars at his disposal such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to gloss over some of his mistakes.

Some have been quick to blame Mazzulla early on when the C’s struggle, but it’s worth noting that the Celtics fared even worse when Udoka took over last season, as they were just a .500 team midway through the season. Mazzulla deserves the same leeway to figure things out that Udoka got last season, because if he can get things settled, we all know what this Celtics team is capable of.