Joe Mazzulla’s advice for Jayson Tatum, Sam Cassell on becoming repeat champions and other thoughts on the Celtics

“I spoke to [coach Joe Mazzulla] a lot,” Tatum said. “Joe was probably the luckiest person in the world that I didn’t win the MVP title in the finals and didn’t play in two games in the Olympics. That was strange, but if you know Joe it makes sense.”

We know Joe, and last week I started asking him about Tatum’s claim that Tatum’s adversity made Mazzulla the happiest person in the world. He smiled and answered before I even answered the question.

“Yes,” said Mazzulla. “He’s 100 percent right.”

Mazzulla said he encouraged Tatum to take a step back and appreciate everything he has accomplished at the age of 26, and he explained that his mindset lies in his love for Tatum and his belief in what is possible for him , takes root.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet because he works so hard and is willing to develop,” Mazzulla said. “So I thought it was great that he had something to work towards. When you’re successful, sometimes the next hunger isn’t right in front of you. Sometimes you have to wait for it. Sometimes it’s a loss; Sometimes it’s a streak of bad luck. He could get this right in front of him.

“So I just thought it was a gift. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be [ticked] talk about it. I didn’t want to hide how this might affect him in real time because I wasn’t there. But as his coach and as someone who really cares about him, I just thought it was great because it gives him something to work towards for the rest of his career.”

▪ The Celtics are trying to become the first team to win back-to-back NBA championships since the Warriors in the 2017-18 season. No one on this roster has accomplished that feat, but assistant coach Sam Cassell played point guard for the Rockets when they won two straight titles in 1994-95.

In 1994, the Rockets won 58 games and defeated the Knicks in a closely contested seven-game NBA Finals. However, the following regular season was rocky. Cassell said he noticed a difference in the way opponents approached the Rockets. The games seemed more meaningful to them.

The Rockets, returning their core pieces, struggled for most of the regular season before a February trade for Clyde Drexler gave them a shock. They only won 47 games and were the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, but the addition of Drexler and the knowledge of what it took to survive in the postseason propelled them forward as they defeated the Magic in the Finals.

Cassell said it can be challenging for a defending champion to start a long regular season with a rush. There is agreement that the road ahead will be long and arduous. But he believes this Celtics team will be focused early on, and he echoed Mazzula’s sentiment that this season has nothing to do with the last.

“I can tell you that no one here is talking about repeating anything or trying to defend anything,” Cassell said. “It’s just a new year and a new season. We just want to win a championship every year.”

▪ Ownership of the Celtics has gone mostly quiet since the Grousbeck family announced it planned to sell its controlling interest this year. Majority owner Wyc Grousbeck took part in training on Thursday and then chatted with Mazzulla. Co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who has publicly announced his intention to participate in the bidding process for majority ownership, was seen at media day at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday. It still appears unlikely that a deal will be completed before the end of this calendar year.

▪ The Knicks made one of the most significant moves of this offseason on Friday night when they agreed to trade Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. It’s hard to evaluate these deals without seeing the details, but at first glance I like this deal for the Knicks.

Randle often needed the ball in his hands and passed somewhat awkwardly next to star point guard Jalen Brunson. Towns is a skilled 7-footer who shoots about 40 percent from the 3-point line and will help create space for Brunson.

He will start at center while Mitchell Robinson is out due to injury and can easily move to power forward when Robinson returns. DiVincenzo was excellent for the Knicks and his departure ruins some of the Villanova brotherhood spirit, but Deuce McBride should now capitalize on the increased opportunities. No, this move doesn’t catapult New York past Boston to the east, but it is even more powerful.

▪ I’m heading to Abu Dhabi next week to cover the Celtics’ two friendly games against the Nuggets. I’ve never been to this part of the world. So send me an email with any suggestions or recommendations.

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Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.