Boston Celtics
“I think the more we talk about things that aren’t involving the 26-27 Celtics, I’m doing a disservice to our team.”
Joe Mazzulla took questions from Celtics fans once again on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
October 29, 2026 | 7:52 PM
3 minutes to read
For the second time this month, Joe Mazzulla heard directly from fans during his weekly interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” show.
During Thursday’s interview, Mazzulla once again fielded live calls from fans, taking questions on a variety of topics, including Halloween, the evolution of the full-court press, and Devin Carter’s potential after a standout collegiate career at Providence.
“I genuinely like this,” Mazzulla acknowledged as he parsed through the caller line during Thursday’s segment, adding: “Legitimate basketball questions. I enjoy when we ask legitimate basketball questions where people really want you to know. I enjoy having those conversations. It’s great.”
While most of the questions Mazzulla received focused on his team’s play amid a 3-1 start to the season, Boston’s head coach also had to address the lingering drama between Jayson Tatum and his former teammate, Jaylen Brown.
In particular, one caller — “Rob from Rhode Island” — asked Mazzulla about Brown’s previous comments about the 2025-26 season being his “favorite season”, even though Tatum missed a majority of the year due to a ruptured Achilles.
Before seeking a response from Mazzulla, “Rob from Rhode Island” speculated that Brown’s remarks stemmed from a “leadership void” on the Celtics last season.
“I think it’s a fair question,” Mazzulla responded. “I think the part of that question that’s important is we can’t control how the media interprets comments that are being said. You have to create space for you guys or the people, whoever it is, to interpret the way you want to interpret; we do the best job we can at just being authentic and saying what needs to be said.
While Brown later clarified that his “favorite season” comments reflected both the growth of younger players like Hugo Gonzalez and the resilience of a team that won 56 games despite low expectations, many interpreted the remarks as a potential dig at Tatum — who played only 16 games last season.
“Regardless of who it is, we always just want to have an environment where our players are being honest and being open,” Mazzulla added. “And they’re not always going to be perfect in what they say. And we can’t control where it goes. We can only control the internal truth as to what’s going on. So that’s what I always tell the guys. That’s what we always tell them.
“Now we want to have a space to where they can share their opinion, where they could talk, understand that — we always trust that whoever is speaking on behalf of the Celtics, they’re speaking on behalf of the team … and what gives us the best chance to win, and where it goes from there isn’t really up to us. We just have to be able to have an internal focus of control when it comes to those things. And I think it’s one of the great things that this locker room has done and has always done.”
Sports Hub host Marc Bertrand acknowledged that Mazzulla and the Celtics will likely face even more questions about Brown ahead of Boston’s anticipated meeting with the Sixers on Nov. 10 in Philadelphia.
Similar to his response earlier this week when asked about Brown and the ongoing strife between him and Tatum, Mazzulla both praised Brown’s previous contributions with the Celtics — while also shifting the focus to this current Boston roster.
”We talked about this before. Again, my main focus is on the 26-27 Celtics. And at the same time, I can’t — I think the more we talk about things that aren’t involving the 26-27 Celtics, I’m doing a disservice to our team. I’m doing a disservice to what the guys are doing there.
“At the same time, yeah, we have a history — a great history — with a player who’s in our Atlantic Division, who we’re going to play four times. Those things are going to come up when they come up. The focus is on the gratitude and the perspective of former Celtics being [great]. Like, part of the reason why I’m a great coach is because of him. Part of the reason why we won is because of him. Part of the reason why the Celtics were great over the last 10 years is because of him.
“And when we play the Sixers four times, there is space to reflect on that. But 90 percent of what I do has to be about the 26-27 Celtics and the growth of our players and the growth of our people going forward. And that’s where my lens goes.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
