When analyzing a professional player, we often dig into their past to better understand who they’ve become. We delve into statistics to explain certain aspects of their game. We investigate their high school and college careers or past passions to capture the present.
But what if we did the same for a coach? Better yet, what about a couch that was a former player?
Let’s embark on this journey into the past. We’ll pass by Bishop Hendricken High School, and then head to West Virginia. There, we will scout, analyze, and get to know Joe Mazzulla before he became Coach Mazzulla.
“He had an ‘it’ factor”
In high school, Joe Mazzulla wasn’t just a basketball player. First and foremost, he was a student — a student of the game and a student of life. His coach, Jamal Gomes, described him with these words: “character, determination, grit, toughness, intelligence.” We also know that Joe was a great athlete. He was so quick that he won a state championship in the 400-meter run.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find enough video of his high school games. However, we know that even back then, Joe had a coaching mindset and was already reading the game. Gomes told 7 News WHDH that during a free throw, Joe approached him and said, “Hey coach, they’re in a matchup zone. I think you might want to try this offense.” He was already focusing on strategy. As Gomes said, he had an ‘it’ factor.
At the end of high school, Joe Mazzulla, a two-star prospect, received offers from five universities: Boston University, George Mason, George Washington, Rhode Island, and of course, West Virginia. Joe ultimately chose WVU.
“Country roads, take me home”
Here we are at West Virginia University where Joe Mazzulla played five seasons from 2006 to 2011. Over those years, he experienced highs and lows — from heroics in 2008 to challenges in 2009, and then back to heroics in 2010. Between success and overachievement dur March Madness, Joe Mazzulla also dealt with off-court issues.
Throughout these ups and downs, Joe received guidance from two West Virginia University legends: Jerry West and Bob Huggins. Time, experience, and hard work were the ingredients that helped Joe Mazzulla become the player, coach, and man he is today. Across five seasons, Joe played 2,649 minutes for WVU. What do those minutes tell us about the player he was? Let’s dive into the numbers before heading to the film room.
In his first four seasons, he started only seven games. Then, in his last season, he ended up being a starter for most of the games. So, what was Joe Mazzulla’s impact on the court? What archetype of player was he?
Unexpected Joe
I try to avoid narrative when scouting a player but I have to admit, Joe Mazzulla built a strong reputation as a “big game player.” Most of his biggest scoring games came against the best teams in the country. There is this 2010 game against John Wall when he scored 17 points (a career-high at that time) while playing at the back of a 1-3-1 zone. Funny enough, he was the player who suggested the 1-3-1 zone to Huggins.
Maybe this game is the best allegory of his coaching career so far. He started this game to replace an injured starter and carried West Virginia home, not unlike replacing Ime Udoka in 2022 and carrying the Celtics home two years later. Already in the NCAA, Joe Mazzulla was ready to take a bigger role when no one thought he was prepared for it.
There were other big games when he stepped up in scoring. He had 18 points against Kemba Walker’s UConn in 2011 — and finished his NCAA career with a career-high 20 points against Brandon Knight’s Kentucky Wildcats. However, we are here to analyze the overall player, not just Mazzulla’s highlights. Outside of these legendary games, Mazzulla had great intangible quality, but also some limitations.
Joe by the numbers
Mazzulla was 6’2” with a strong left hand. Defenses knew they had to push him right as much as possible, but Joe was a crafty player. One great indicator of this craftiness was his free throw attempt rate. Being able to get to the FT line shows great ability to exploit defensive breakdowns. Mazzulla’s FTAR was up to 0.871 in his last season. To give context, the guard with the highest FTAR in the NBA last season was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 0.436.
Of course, the competition was different then, but this shows a great ability to get to the rim. However, Joe had limits. Two of them might have cost him a longer career: Mazzulla wasn’t a great shooter and wasn’t tall enough to make up for it.
Defenses often ignored him beyond the three-point line. While he occasionally made them pay, the numbers don’t lie. Over 145 NCAA games, Joe attempted only 92 threes, making just 29% of them. However, he contributed in ways that most 6’2” guards typically don’t.
A modern big man trapped in a 6’2” frame
At WVU, Joe handled the ball frequently, but wasn’t a ball-dominant player. Once the offense was set, he often handed the ball off and became an active off-ball player. Joe set plenty of screens — there’s footage of him screening DeMarcus Cousins that would make Andrew Bogut envious.
He was also an off-ball threat, excelling at cutting and finding space to attack. Moreover, he often positioned himself in the post — not to score, but to attract defenders and create space for his teammates.
Now imagine an NBA guard who can carry the ball, post up to create advantages, set solid screens, and play smart off the ball… You’d get the 2024 version of Jrue Holiday. To push the metaphor further, Joe Mazzulla was a unique defender. He could apply full-court pressure, stay connected off-ball, and excel in the back of a 1-3-1 zone.
Making the most of ‘it’
Nonetheless, regardless of his limitations, Joe Mazzulla was a “big game player” that could impact the game in many ways. This translates well to the coach he became and makes me understand better what he saw in Holiday: maybe a little of himself.
Last season, among the Celtics players with significant minutes, all of them had a true shooting percentage above league average. This means, across all players who had an impact last year, none were inefficient. In a league where efficiency is the ultimate goal, this shows great ability to create the best environment for a group of players. Yes, Brad Stevens built a solid roster with historic spacing. However, this roster still had limits. Nonetheless, Mazzulla was able to make the most of it; per PBP Stats, the 2023-2024 Celtics were the 7th best Relative Offensive Efficiency since 2000-2001.
Mazzulla made the most of ‘it’ as a player and now as a head coach in the NBA. Sometimes, life has its own plans, plans that we can’t control. But, like Joe Mazzulla, we can focus on what we control and try our best to make the most of it.
