When Baylor Scheierman joined The Backyard Report earlier this month, he smiled and shared one among his earliest interactions with Joe Mazzulla when requested for his his finest Joe story. He and Mazzulla met as coaching camp concluded, and Mazzulla instructed Scheierman he doesn’t like rookies. So he confronted an uphill battle to accumulating taking part in time.
Scheierman didn’t share the most effective one.
Impending Celtics free agent Torrey Craig joined me and Noa Dalzell this week forward of his free company and revealed one other Scheierman-Mazzulla interplay from 2024-25. After Craig joined the group in February, he heard that Mazzulla and Scheierman met at a doorway within the area earlier than a sport. Each of them supplied to let the opposite cross first, and a standoff ensued.
“I suppose Joe and Baylor was like, ‘no, you go first. Oh no, you go first. No, you go first. No, you bought it,’” Craig mentioned.
“And I simply keep in mind coming from figuring out and Baylor was standing in a towel within the hallway along with his again in opposition to the wall and Joe was laying down on the desk proper there, they usually have been each on reverse sides of the door … I used to be simply questioning, ‘oh, OK,’ after which I got here again 20 minutes later, they’re nonetheless there, and you then come again 20 minutes later, they usually’re nonetheless there. They each waited for not less than an hour earlier than I believe we had a gathering or one thing and that was the one factor that stopped them from staying there.”
Craig believed Mazzulla wished to check Scheierman’s psychological power with the interplay, from which Craig declared Mazzulla the winner. Whereas Mazzulla’s tendencies stunned some Celtics after they encountered them for the primary time, Craig noticed them from afar whereas taking part in for the Bulls earlier within the season. Craig even cited Mazzulla’s teaching fashion as a part of the explanation he joined the Celtics after Chicago purchased him out.
Mazzulla repeatedly praised Craig for contributions as small as one minute in video games and for the way he performed himself via inconsistent taking part in time. Craig solely logged 11.8 minutes per sport over 17 appearances via Boston’s closing 28 video games. Then, he didn’t crack the playoff rotation.
Craig shared some remorse on the podcast over not taking part in extra assertively in his alternatives, one thing he usually doesn’t carry following a season. He appreciated the bond he and his son Braylon shaped with Mazzulla and teammates, nonetheless. That included a chance for Braylon to handle the group earlier than an April sport.
“Joe, he’s a terrific man. He’s a terrific father, nice household man,” Craig mentioned. “Like how he was with my son, letting him speak within the locker room earlier than the sport and attempting to get the blokes going somewhat bit, that’s very uncommon on this league to have coaches like that and I believe that’s a part of what makes him particular.”
Craig turns into a free agent subsequent month alongside Al Horford, who additionally returned to Boston’s facility alongside Payton Pritchard and youthful gamers ramping up for Summer season League. Craig wished to spend time with Braylon and get again to work, since he doesn’t like longer layoffs. In July, he’ll host his fourth annual Torrey Craig day giving again to Nice Falls, South Carolina, the place he attended school.
Craig expressed curiosity in returning to the Celtics, however mentioned he’ll take a enterprise method and see what makes most sense for himself. Boston at present has three open commonplace roster spots and two three-way offers. If Craig departs this summer time, he’ll achieve this having by no means taken Mazzulla up on his provide to attend a jiu-jitsu class.
“I simply suppose it was who had the psychological to attend the longest to see,” Craig mentioned of Scheierman and Mazzulla’s change. “I believe with Joe, he’s a pure competitor. He performed in school. He does all this combating and coaching. He additionally tried to get me to return to a session with him and his coach, however I shortly (declined) that, however yeah, I believe every part is psychological for Joe.”
