“I Let Al Horford Down”: Joe Mazzulla Speaks on One of the Regrets From His First Season as Celtics’ Coach

Joe Mazzulla inherited a stacked roster when he took over as the Boston Celtics’ interim head coach in 2022. But even the first-time NBA head coach knows that it takes more than skill alone to win it all. The 37-year-old spoke on the pressure that comes with both coaching and playing for the Celtics, expressing that to enjoy true greatness, each member of the team has to allow one another to flourish. The most recent iteration of Boston boasts several championship-level talents who are great in different ways.

As a rookie head coach, Mazzulla embraced this philosophy as part of his approach. He gave his players the freedom to play their game and grow through their own instincts and decisions. While the former West Virginia guard understood he still had much to learn, he also recognized he was leading a roster built to win and was eager to do so immediately.

While core talents like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown still had plenty of career ahead, Mazzulla knew some of the team’s veterans, including Blake Griffin and Al Horford, were running short on time. Horford had already come close to winning a title with Boston before, so when the Celtics failed to return to the NBA Finals in 2023, Mazzulla felt he was to blame.

“I think the hardest part about coaching that first year was when we didn’t win, and I was like, ‘Man, I let Al [Horford] down.’ Beyond all the other guys,” Mazzulla shared on Games With Names. “And you take on the good and the tough stuff. And the hardest thing to do was knowing after that season we didn’t give Al what he deserved.”

The five-time All-Star has been an integral piece of the Celtics team and culture since leaving the Atlanta Hawks in 2016. Outside of short stints in Philadelphia and Oklahoma City, Horford has spent the majority of the last decade in Boston. His versatility, poise and leadership immediately transformed him into a contender. But Big Al was still ringless after Boston’s 2023 ECF loss.

Former New England Patriot Julian Edelman has fond memories of Horford in Boston and lauds him as a true professional. The Super Bowl champion remembered hanging out with the Celtics in 2020, recalling how Horford stood out as the old guy compared to Tatum and Brown.

“Jaylen and Jayson, they were still babies. Al was the old guy … He was the guy that was the example for how these guys need to be as a professional, how he came into work, how his preparation habits were, how he took care of his body, how he practiced on the court,” Edelman said. “That’s all the stuff I saw being a fly on the wall. That was his leadership.” 

Al Horford has been instrumental in Boston’s success, helping both players and coaches improve during his time with the franchise. Mazzulla knows exactly how much the multifaceted big man has provided for the team, evidenced by how hard he took his first playoff series loss.

Fortunately for both Boston and Mazzulla, Horford returned for another season, this time primarily coming off the bench. Known for his willingness to put the team first, Horford never shied away from making sacrifices. And while his numbers were the lowest of his 17-year career, his selflessness paid off in 2024 when he finally captured the championship that had eluded him for more than a decade.