The latest significant addition to the Boston Celtics during the offseason conveys a powerful message regarding Joe Mazzulla following his 100th win as the head coach.

Despite only being part of 40 games in Joe Mazzulla’s coaching career, Kristaps Porzingis believes that the Boston Celtics head coach is not receiving the recognition he deserves. This sentiment persists even after Mazzulla achieved his 100th win as the head coach on February 14, leading the Celtics to a 136-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at the TD Garden.

Porzingis expressed his view, stating, “I think just seeing how people view him maybe from the outside a little bit, I think he’s very underrated. People don’t appreciate who he is and how he coaches because he’s very young, you can always blame it on him and stuff like that. But he’s a very underrated coach. Very underrated and different. And yeah, think people don’t see who he really is and how he coaches and it’s easy to not give him the credit because of the talent we have, no? But he deserves a lot of credit. He does deserve a lot of credit and the rest of the coaching staff also deserves a lot of credit.”

The reason behind Mazzulla’s perceived undervaluation might stem from his reluctance to seek attention and accolades. Despite achieving the milestone of 100 wins, Mazzulla attributes the success to his team, especially considering the challenges he faced, such as being appointed as interim head coach just before the start of the 2022-23 training camp and losing Marcus Smart, the team’s longest-tenured player and locker room leader, in his first offseason.

Mazzulla, in his usual modest manner, deflects the spotlight to his roster, acknowledging, “I mean, I told the guys, I think it’s something to be proud of, something to be grateful for, and I think it’s a testament to the people you have around you. I think in a business where individual success is highly talked about on a nightly basis, the box scores and stuff like that, to have a group of people that you can share your success with is important.”

As Mazzulla continues to achieve milestones, with the expectation of reaching win No. 300 in the early stages of his fourth year, the Boston Celtics appear increasingly formidable as a championship-caliber team. However, the article notes that the success might be precarious, as an early exit from any postseason could potentially mark the conclusion of what has been a highly successful coaching tenure.