Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla may soon have two vacancies on his staff.
Following Charles Lee's move to Charlotte, Sam Cassell could be the next C's assistant to leave for a new opportunity. Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who coached Cassell during Boston's 2008 championship season, "plans to make an aggressive push" to hire Cassell to an assistant coaching role, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
Cassell worked under Rivers with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2014-20 and the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020-23. With Rivers out of a job to begin the 2024 NBA season, Cassell joined Mazzulla's staff last summer.
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Mazzulla spoke about Cassell's impact prior to Wednesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden.
“He’s been on every seat on the bench in the NBA, and he knows how to communicate with every single player,” Mazzulla said. “Because he’s been there where that particular player has been. The first (thing) he does before we play is watches film. Even though he’s a former player, he’s a guy that wants to study the game, learn the game. Loyal, communicates well, good coach, great coach.”
Cassell is also rumored to be a top candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers' head coaching job.
For now, Cassell and the C's will focus on punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. With a 3-1 series lead heading into Wednesday night's matchup, they'll have a chance to do just that.
