Joe Mazzulla is known for his unconventional coaching methods, tactics and quotes. Just ask the Boston Celtics players about his crazy "warzone" drills.
While they may be unusual, there's no arguing with the results. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA since Mazzulla took over for Ime Udoka.
It helps that he has really good players. Boston is so good, in fact, that it doesn't even need a coach sometimes.
During this week's episode of the "White Noise Podcast" with Derrick White, White shared a wild story about a game earlier this season that Mazzulla let his players coach themselves.
According to White, it was on Dec. 20 against the Toronto Raptors. Despite being without Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics still won 112-96.
Derrick talks about the time Joe Mazzulla let the players - not the coaching staff - decide the starters, matchups, and game plan against the Raptors π―
The Celtics won 112-96 without Jaylen Brown π₯
βThe dope part about Joe is how much he trusts us.β pic.twitter.com/raT2Lye63j
β White Noise Podcast w/Derrick White (@whitenoisepod_) March 10, 2026
"Joe was like, alright, you guys are gonna tell me who's gonna start and the matchups," White said.
White said the players got quiet when Mazzulla informed them before the game, thinking it was a joke. He was serious, however, letting them choose the starting lineups and matchups.
As it turns out, they chose wisely. It also gave them a unique perspective on the game.
"I think that's the dope part about Joe is how much he trusts us and he wants us to put ourselves in the coaches' shoes," White added. "Kind of felt like a coach for a second, and we went out and we won."
It sounds like it was a good learning experience for Boston, especially if some of the players go on to have coaching careers down the road.
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