Joe Mazzulla Backtracks Walsh Hockey Line Idea: “We’re Not Doing That”

BOSTON — The Celtics raced through an intense first practice day and finished with some film, focusing again on pace and getting into offensive actions earlier around half court. They won’t, however, utilize an intriguing strategy Jordan Walsh raised on media day where Boston would rotate lineups rapidly to keep fresh bodies on the floor playing hard for fewer minutes like a hockey line.

“I’m not gonna lie to you,” Joe Mazzulla said after Tuesday’s practice. “Jordan just said that to mess with you guys. We’re not doing that. I know you guys need the headline, but that’s not happening. So don’t worry about that.”

Whether a miscommunication or slip in keeping a tactic secret, it marked a strange layer to the discussion over how the Celtics will shift their play style with a new-look roster. Players have universally touted playing faster, while Josh Minott alluded to more aggressive defensive tactics in his press conference on Monday.

Walsh alluded to less isolation playing through Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum like they leaned on in the past, and that the Celtics wanted to utilize his athleticism more. Then, he brought up the idea of rotating players in-and-out quickly so they can play as hard as possible, like a hockey line.

“I think what Joe wants is it to be more of a five-in, five-out type of rotation where we’re all going super hard for 4-5 minutes, boom, switch out, new five or whatever, and fight, fight, fight for 4-5 minutes,” he said.

Nobody else mentioned the idea during media day, while Mazzulla talked about keeping up with league trends. Some playoff teams used deeper rotations in the 2025 playoffs, particularly Cleveland, Indiana and Orlando. He considered playing fast an overused term, and wants the Celtics to focus on executing, moving the ball and defending with speed. They’re in the process of assessing their approach with the roster they have.

Brad Stevens stressed playing to the strength of the roster and addressing pace issues during the offseason, but said on Monday that he’ll leave styles and systems to the coaching staff while advising how different players can bring value to the team. The Celtics’ roster, despite significant talent losses, boasts greater speed, athleticism and wing depth than one year ago if Minott, Baylor Scheierman, Chris Boucher and Anfernee Simons emerge as reliable depth contributors. For Minott, Mazzulla wanted to see him sprint in transition, screening and offensive rebounding. The bigs have prepared to run the floor.

“Think of it like a NASCAR pit stop,” Tillman said, describing the Celtics’ play style. “Where you just don’t stop moving and as soon as you go in, the guys are exchanging and we’re out. That’s what it is. As soon as we cross half court, we’re on it. You’ll see a lot of actions at half court, we’re on it. You’ll see a lot of actions at half court, setting a lot of picks and stuff like that. Depending on your game, if you’re a roller, mixing in the two and then the front court, we’re gonna have to run a lot, for sure.”