Ever since he took over as the Boston Celtics head coach, Joe Mazzulla has run things his way. Even though the Celtics are coming off a second-round elimination, this has earned them their 18th title as a franchise.
Mazzula's coaching philosophy also includes his distrust of rookies. Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman revealed as such when he first started playing under Mazzulla during the 2024-25 season.
Scheierman ended the regular season with a fair amount of optimism surrounding his future. However, he starts his NBA career a little slow, as Mazzulla didn't really trusting him until the end of the season.
As it turns out, Mazzulla let the Celtics rookie know how he felt about playing first-year players ahead of time. During an exclusive interview on "The Garden Report," Scheierman revealed a candid conversation with Mazzulla during the Celtics' training camp in 2024.
“Listen, I don’t really like rookies,” Mazzulla told Scheierman. “So you’re gonna have to battle this year, and that’s kind of how it is. “And I was like, ‘alright, that’s alright.’”
Joe Mazzulla does NOT LIKE Rookies😂
"He was pretty much like: 'Listen I don't really like rookies.'"
Baylor Scheierman joins @TheGardenReport on @CLNSMedia: https://t.co/qKkDraK3kh pic.twitter.com/kNQ1s1rcqN— Garden Report: Celtics Postgame on CLNS (@TheGardenReport) June 6, 2025
For what it's worth, it's not unheard of that coaches are apprehensive about playing rookies. Especially ones that are coaching teams with title hopes. Scheierman clearly took Mazzulla's words to heart and tried to improve his game to prove himself.
In due time, Mazzulla started giving him more time when the team was undermanned, and Scheierman thrived in it, showing his skills as a shooter and a passer. With Jayson Tatum out indefinitely, Scheierman's role might get even bigger next season.
