The Celtics already know they have one big hole to fill on Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff next season with top assistant Charles Lee getting hired as the next head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. One potential replacement for that position may already be on Boston’s staff. Marc Stein of The Stein Line is reporting per league sources that the Celtics are exploring the idea of Jeff Van Gundy joining Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff next season.
The Celtics hired Van Gundy back in October as a senior consultant under basketball operations. The veteran coach split his time between working and traveling with the team in Boston while also consulting with the Maine Celtics. As the season has progressed, Van Gundy has been a constant presence at team practices and on road trips amid Boston’s run to the NBA Finals.
Brad Stevens spoke about Van Gundy’s impact this season with the team back in April.
“Jeff’s been great,” Stevens said. “And it’s all the way through that coaching staff. They’ve been terrific. Jeff, in his consultant role, our six player enhancement coaches have been amazing with our ‘stay ready’ group.”
Van Gundy’s position with the Celtics was his first with an NBA team after broadcasting for the last 16 years with ESPN. Prior to color commentating, Van Gundy was a standout with multiple teams as an NBA coach, putting together a 430-318 record with the Knicks and Rockets over 11 seasons. He’s also had a good relationship with Stevens over the years per sources, likely giving Boston a better chance of hiring him once he was laid off by ESPN last year.
“I will say this, I’ve known Jeff a long time and gotten a chance to spend a lot of time with him over the years,” Stevens said. “It is fun watching a game with him when he doesn’t have to speak in 15- second sound bites. He’s pretty entertaining.”
Van Gundy’s name popped up as a candidate for the Bucks job after Adrian Griffin’s firing and he reportedly turned down a spot on Jason Kidd’s coaching staff in Dallas last summer according to Stein.
Lee is remaining with the Celtics during their NBA Finals run before joining the Hornets but he may not be the only coach departing Boston this offseason. Sam Cassell has already interviewed for multiple head coach positions, including the Lakers job over the past month.
Mazzulla and the Celtics obviously have bigger priorities right now than filling a job on their coaching staff for next season. However, Van Gundy has clearly built a relationship with Mazzulla this year and would be an intriguing choice to add to the bench for the future. It also may be a good opportunity for Van Gundy to rise again as a top candidate for open head coaching positions moving forward, much like it did for Lee this past year.
