BOSTON — The Celtics will be welcoming a familiar face back to TD Garden on Monday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers. Roaming the bench alongside head coach Ty Lue for LA will be top assistant Jeff Van Gundy. The veteran coach spent last season as a senior consultant for Boston, working with the main roster as well as with the team’s G-League group.
As the team’s championship season ramped up, Van Gundy was a frequent face around the team at practices, shootarounds and games. Van Gundy was rumored to be considering to be joining Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff after Charles Lee was hired by the Hornets in May. Ultimately, Van Gundy landed a lucrative deal with the Clippers to serve as a top lieutenant for Lue in his return to the bench.
Despite major roster overhaul and missing Kawhi Leonard due to injury, the Clippers have opened the season with a 11-7 record and a top-5 defense. Celtics guard Derrick White credits Van Gundy for a lot of Clippers success early in the year.
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“They got my guy Van Gundy out there, so you know they’re going to be prepared and they’re going to compete on that [defensive] end,” White said after beating the Wolves Sunday night. “Just knowing him from the last year and getting to know him. They’re a good team, and it’s going to be a challenging 48 minutes.”
White also spoke about the value Van Gundy had around the team last year as a consultant.
“He’s just been around basketball forever,” White said. ‘He just knows the game and lives and breathes basketball. So any time you have somebody like that, it’s infectious, and it kind of just motivates you to learn and want to grow. He’s doing a great job, and it’ll be good to see him.”
Van Gundy joined the Celtics last October, after being let go by ESPN in June 2023 amid budget cuts. Prior to his TV work, 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 spoke in June on the Mark Jackson Show about his appreciation for his time in Boston.
“When I went to work for the Celtics after the FIBA World Cup last fall, I only knew Brad Stevens a little bit,” Van Gunde explained. “I was really in an awkward place in life, not really knowing where I was going or what my purpose was, or how I’d be with this new group of people where I didn’t know anyone. It’s been one of the most rejuvenating things I’ve ever gone through. Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla threw me a lifeline.”
