Joe Mazzulla has never been one to stick to conventional wisdom, and that certainly trickles into his coaching style. Celtics guard Derrick White revealed on his podcast one of the bizarre methods Mazzulla used in order to improve the team's conditioning.
White said that during practices, Mazzulla would reward the team that won a scrimmage by having them run. That was, in his own way, Mazzulla's means of changing the way the team viewed running. Rather than deem it a punishment, he wanted Boston to think of running as a well-earned reward.
"He'd do this thing, where, if you win a drill... Usually the loser runs. We did this thing, where the winners run. Like, you're getting rewarded by running. [Mazzulla] was like, 'We've got to change our mindset that running is our reward, and we don't get to stand by and just watch...'" White said on his podcast, White Noise.
Joe Mazzulla used make the winners of scrimmages run to “reward them with running” and to “change their mindset”.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 25, 2025
Absolutely bonkers. (via @kicks) pic.twitter.com/tatYyG4JJz
"I think it was a cool message. Like, if you win you can't relax," White said.
It's certainly an example of Mazzulla's unconventional mindset, but White spoke highly of the idea and said he, and others in the organization, actually grew quite fond of the unique take on running.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Derrick White Reveals Joe Mazzulla's Twisted 'Reward' for Celtics During Practices.
