The key to the Celtics’ Summer time League success is one lifelong Celtics fan

LAS VEGAS – Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez was within the midst of a irritating sport, stuffed with missed free throws, out-of-character turnovers, and premature fouls.

So, Celtics Summer time League head coach Matt Reynolds requested him a query:

“Are you having enjoyable?”

Gonzalez, the 19-year-old rookie who up to now has spent his total profession enjoying skilled basketball for Actual Madrid, was thrown off.

“[I was] like, ‘Yeah, I’m having enjoyable,’” Gonzalez recalled. “And [Reynolds was like], ‘I’m having a number of enjoyable proper now.’”

The sunshine-hearted back-and-forth was meant to remind Gonzalez that when he’s having fun with himself, he’s a greater participant. That emphasis on pleasure served as a bit of little bit of a tradition shock: “It’s actually, actually completely different from what I used to be used to,” he stated.

It’s not simply Gonzalez. Over the previous few weeks, almost everybody on the Celtics Summer time League roster has noticed the tradition Reynolds has instilled.

Baylor Scheierman, who’s in his second Summer time League with Boston, has routinely gushed in regards to the environment Reynolds has fostered en path to a 3-1 file, the Celtics’ greatest July file in years.

“He’s simply accomplished a terrific job of simply creating an surroundings of pleasure,” Scheierman stated. “I actually take pleasure in having him as a coach.”

For Reynolds, the power to convey pleasure to each single follow and sport this summer time has come naturally.

In spite of everything, he’s at present residing out a dream

The longtime Celtics assistant — who is often tasked with in-game opinions and is certainly one of Joe Mazzulla’s trusted confidants — grew up a large Celtics fan in Lexington, Massachusetts. He had hopes of sooner or later working in sports activities, liked Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and thrived off the power on the Backyard.

“I bear in mind the day I received the job, it was identical to a ‘pinch me’ second,” Reynolds stated. “And since then, each single day I get up so excited to return right here.”

Over the previous 12 years with the Celtics, there have been moments when Reynolds merely couldn’t ignore his lifelong fandom. A kind of got here a couple of years again, when fellow Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell introduced Paul Pierce to certainly one of Jayson Tatum’s exercises.

“That was my favourite participant since he received drafted,” Reynolds stated. “I can bear in mind the place I used to be for therefore lots of his iconic performances — the duel with Lebron, the game-winners in opposition to the Warmth…”

In school, Reynolds was the group supervisor of Syracuse’s males’s basketball group. After graduating, he volunteered to teach boys basketball at Woburn Excessive Faculty earlier than taking up transient stints aiding the employees of groups at UNC Asheville and Japanese Michigan College.

Then he received an internship that without end modified his life’s trajectory.

In October 2013, the Celtics had been in the hunt for a movie room intern who might full the straightforward however crucial job of reducing up sport movie. Plans with the intern the group initially employed for the place fell by, and time was of the essence.

Reynolds, who had no NBA movie room expertise, didn’t have a job. However his sister was associates with Brian Adams, who on the time was a video coordinator for the Celtics, and Miller put in an excellent phrase.

It labored.

“If the Celtics had extra time to rent for the place I ended up getting, I’d not have gotten employed,” Reynolds insists virtually 12 years later.

It looks as if he’s solely half-kidding.

However after he was chosen, Reynolds was dedicated to taking advantage of it, although the internship centered round a job that he quipped may very well be completed through automated companies as we speak. Slowly, the Celtics’ assistant coaches trusted the then-24-year-old with extra duties and challenged him to not full duties mindlessly, however as an alternative, to actually learn to watch NBA movie.

“The following factor you recognize, I ended up doing opponent scouts,” Reynolds stated.

So, what precisely was chargeable for Reynold’s ascent?

A number of individuals across the Celtics group instructed me that — along with his tireless work ethic, excellent communication abilities, and jovial demeanor — the veteran Celtics assistant has a photographic reminiscence.

Reynolds opted to not use the phrase “photographic” once we spoke, however he did admit his reminiscence is a energy. I used to be capable of observe his excellent potential to recall data first-hand, in awe as we watched him completely recite scrum solutions from days prior, in addition to particulars from an off-the-cuff dialog we had greater than a 12 months in the past.

“I’ve a extremely good reminiscence,” Reynolds stated. “It’s one thing I delight myself in — whether or not or not it’s the NBA, motion film quotes, no matter it’s.”

That gave him a leg up within the movie room, the place he continued to tackle further duties.

And, he continued to maneuver up.

Sarcastically, Reynolds really credit his potential to dwell within the second for serving to him rise the ranks.

“I appreciated the job I used to be doing, with out having a watch in direction of, ‘I would like to do that to be able to broaden my profile, or go to a special group or no matter,’” Reynolds stated.

In 12 years, Reynolds has coached beneath three (very completely different) head coaches. The climb has been regular; he turned a video internship into an assistant video coordinator place, after which ultimately dropped the assistant title. In 2019, he was named a particular assistant to then-head coach Brad Stevens. For one season, he coached beneath Ime Udoka.

And, when most of Udoka’s assistants adopted him to the Houston Rockets, Reynolds stayed put, turning into certainly one of Mazzulla’s lead assistants, a place he’s held for the previous three seasons.

As he’s risen by the teaching ranks, he hasn’t felt inhibited by his lack of earlier expertise enjoying aggressive basketball, as a result of he is aware of simply how ready he’s.

“Gamers respect if you recognize what you’re speaking about, they usually’ll additionally respect if you recognize you shoot it to them straight,” Reynolds stated. “[It’s about] honesty and preparation. If I don’t have a solution for one thing, I’ve to be humble sufficient to hunt a coach who I belief. However extra importantly, be ready — research the opponent, in order that if you’re going to current to your gamers, you recognize what you’re speaking about.”

Now, for the primary time, he’s the Celtics’ Summer time League head coach, and all of it nonetheless feels surreal

In the course of the Celtics’ championship season — a couple of 12 months and a half in the past — Mazzulla knowledgeable Reynolds he’d be the Summer time League head coach in 2025. And whereas he didn’t know who’d be on the roster or what sort of schemes the group would prioritize, he began prepping then.

“You form of need to mentally put together for the in-game duties you’re gonna have,” Reynolds stated.

In Reynold’s debut sport as Summer time League head coach — a 92-78 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies — greater than 20 of his family and friends sat within the Las Vegas stands.

“It form of grew to become a must-win sport,” he instructed me later within the week.

Reynolds, who as an assistant typicallly has an iPad in his arms on the bench, didn’t know what sort of a head coach he can be. In his debut, he discovered himself stunned at simply how loud and communicative he was on the sidelines.

“I used to be yelling rather a lot,” Reynolds stated. “I positively caught myself being like – I’m actually loud proper now… generally, that’s what the sport requires.”

The Cox Pavilion bleachers, inundated with these closest to him, served as a reminder of the lengthy however regular journey.

“Each Thanksgiving, we cheer to Brian Adams,” Reynolds stated in a nod to the mutual buddy who helped him land the preliminary internship.

Lower than every week after his head teaching debut, his mother and father sat courtside for the Celtics’ marquee sport in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers on the Thomas and Mack Middle, the marquee court docket of the Las Vegas Summer time League.

The 87-78 victory over the Celtics’ historic rival was notably significant.

“When my mother and father instructed me they is perhaps popping out to the sport, I used to be like, ‘I’m not gonna stand in your manner,’” he stated afterward with a smile.

Having Reynolds’ mother and father in Las Vegas is a full-circle second; he at all times instructed them he needed to work on this trade, however he didn’t essentially know what form that might take, by no means thoughts that he’d sooner or later be a lead coach for the Boston Celtics.

“I made it clear to them that going to all these video games was fairly clear – I needed to work in sports activities,” he stated. “They usually had been very useful alongside the way in which and helped me make that come true.”

“I’m making an attempt to make them proud.”

Finally, Reynolds’ gratitude for the chance has rubbed off on his gamers

He knew he was going to take pleasure in each second in Vegas — and he was going to verify each participant did as effectively.

So, he’s developed inside jokes and references with every participant on the roster. Scheierman stated he and Reynolds have bonded over their joint love for having enjoyable (Reynolds, in any case, is similar Celtics assistant who indulges in trick pictures with Derrick White at each follow and shootaround, no matter circumstance). In Las Vegas, the longtime assistant has assigned motion pictures for various gamers on the group to look at.

And rising third-year ahead Jordan Walsh, who has had a powerful Summer time League displaying for the Celtics, stated that Reynolds’ spirit has energized him. Walsh has identified Reynolds as an assistant for the previous two years, however he’s taken discover of simply how elated he’s been at this Summer time League alternative.

“Often, he’s not a man who’s tremendous vocal, or tremendous yelling,” Walsh stated. “He’s normally the man behind the scenes. Seeing how comfortable he’s and excited he’s — he’s leaping round screaming. I’ve by no means heard him scream earlier than, and he’s leaping round and screaming. It lights a fireplace beneath me personally.”

The 21-year-old has had his greatest Summer time League but, averaging 15 factors on 46.3% taking pictures, alongside 38.9% from three.

The non-Boston Celtics members of the Summer time League roster really feel the identical: Reynold’s power has created buy-in. Gamers who’re combating for his or her NBA careers aren’t overly frightened about their particular person performances — as an alternative, they’re working collectively towards profitable.

“When your coach is doing that, it’s simple for the gamers to need to do this,” stated Jalen Bridges, certainly one of 8 gamers not at present slated to be on the Celtics roster subsequent season. “It’s contagious. That power spreads. You’ll be able to inform that on the ground – we’re all enjoying for one another. We’re enjoying as onerous as we will. When your coach brings that power, it’s very easy to get your group to play onerous.”

Reynolds has made certain his emphasis on human connection has prolonged to each man on the roster — not simply those at present beneath contract with the Celtics.

“I care about their expertise right here,” he stated. “I need to be sure that they’re having fun with themselves, even when they’re not enjoying.”

And, whereas his detail-oriented preparation and scouting gained’t waiver, Reynolds gained’t deny the enjoyment he’s felt this week in Las Vegas, nor his deep-rooted reference to the Celtics franchise — one which started many years in the past.

“I take a number of delight in representing this group,” Reynolds stated. “The components of this group that we have to embody haven’t modified for the reason that Celtics had been based.”

By the top of our prolonged interview, after I requested Matt what the perfect a part of being an NBA coach was, I knew what his reply can be.

“It’s getting to teach for the Celtics,” he stated. “It’s been particular to work for this group since I received right here. I don’t take a single day without any consideration.”