A recent report revealed the expectation for Phil Pressey to become the next head coach of the Maine Celtics. That's via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto now shares what the future likely holds for Pressey's predecessor, Tyler Lashbrook.
"After spending one season as the head coach of the Maine Celtics, the early belief is Tyler Lashbrook will move up to a new role with the Boston Celtics," reports Scotto.
Lashbrook worked as a player development coach in Boston for the franchise's run to Banner 18 in 2023-24. He impressed in the first head coaching opportunity of his career last season. The Kentucky native earned G League Coach of the Month in February. That came courtesy of a run where Maine won 14 of 16 games, surging up the standings.
☘️ After a league-best 7-1 record in February, Tyler Lashbrook is the first coach in franchise history to win @nbagleague Coach of the Month honors. pic.twitter.com/KmnbgEh365
— Maine Celtics (@MaineCeltics) March 4, 2025
After Lashbrook received that honor, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla shared with Hardwood Houdini what makes the former so impactful.
"His ability to teach has been really great," said Mazzulla. "One of the best things he's done, which is important for being [in] the G League, is handling those 'Stay Ready guys.' He built great relationships with those guys last year. And essentially the G League, that's the stay ready environment and mentality."
Maine finished the regular season in third in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics' G League affiliate registered a 21-13 record. Their season ended with a 135-122 loss at the hands of the Osceola Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Celtics maintain continuity on their coaching staff
When Lashbrook took the reigns as head coach of the Maine Celtics, he replaced Blaine Mueller. After helping lead the club to the G League Finals for the first time in franchise history, Mueller went with Charles Lee to the Charlotte Hornets.
This go-around, Boston is poised to retain the bench boss in Maine. Building off the synergy and trust developed between Lashbrook, the rest of the coaching staff, and the players returning next season is a meaningful advantage.
"The buy-in comes, I think, in training camp," Joe Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini in April about the origin of the continuity between Boston and Maine. "We're all together. We're all on the same page about trying to make the Maine Celtics the same as it is here," stated Mazzulla. "There's good team chemistry between the staff and the guys, and the guys have been playing really well."
Another essential layer of what makes Lashbrook such an impactful coach is his ability to resonate with players. That stems from a burning desire to help them reach their best version of themselves on the path to victory.
"Shoot, if he could play, he would, DJ Rodman, an in-season acquisition by Maine during the 2024-25 campaign, told Hardwood Houdini of Lashbrook during a late March conversation. "And that's something that you really want from a coach, coming from a player's perspective. I want to play for someone who cares and wants to win more than I—Shoot, I want to win a lot, but sometimes it feels like he wants to win more than I do, and that's someone who I want to play for."
It's also someone any team wants on their coaching staff. In their new roles, Lashbrook and Pressey will help preserve the continuity crucial to a franchise that excels at player development. It's an exciting next chapter for them and the latest validation of what the Celtics' coaching staff has cultivated.