Mike Conley never checked into Boston’s 114-93 preseason win over Charlotte on Wednesday, but he may have had the most unusual assignment on the Celtics’ bench. With a folded rotation sheet in hand, the 39-year-old guard handled substitutions for the night at Joe Mazzulla’s request, getting a first look at the split-second management required from the coaching chair.
The Celtics used their usual core players against the Hornets, while Conley watched from the sideline as he prepares for his 20th NBA season. Mazzulla approached him before the game with the idea of letting him run the rotation. Conley, who had never done it before, accepted immediately and called it a valuable experience.
The first wrinkle came just 2:05 into the opening quarter, when Derrick White collected his second foul. Conley had to consider whether the pregame plan should be altered to protect White from a quick third. Instead of pulling him immediately, Conley spoke with White and told him he had to stay disciplined because the coach was trusting the decision to leave him on the floor.
White avoided another foul, allowing Conley to keep the planned sequence intact and bring in Payton Pritchard about a minute later. It was an early reminder that a rotation chart only goes so far once the game starts.
Conley said the job became more complicated as he watched energy levels, hot stretches and lineup rhythm unfold in real time. A player can look tired, while another can be in the middle of four or five straight made baskets. In those moments, he said, the decision is less about following a timetable than reading the floor. Sitting beside Mazzulla through the second half, Conley asked questions and received guidance on when a group was playing too well to disrupt.
Boston carried a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter, and Mazzulla used the moment to talk through the value of player connectivity. Conley said the coach noted that the Celtics had not relied on called sets, drawn-up actions or detailed scouting preparation in the exhibition setting, yet the group was still finding solutions together. Mazzulla’s point was not that Boston can abandon preparation during the regular season, Conley said, but that a connected team can make everyone’s work easier.
The conversations also gave Conley a clearer sense of what Mazzulla notices from the sideline. The coach pointed out defensive possessions he liked and explained why they mattered. For Conley, the night was as much about seeing basketball through Mazzulla’s eyes as it was about deciding who would report to the scorer’s table.
Mazzulla keeps widening the circle
The substitution experiment fit Mazzulla’s broader preseason approach. In Boston’s exhibition opener, assistants Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay divided head-coaching responsibilities after both received head-coaching interview opportunities during the offseason. Mazzulla wanted them to gain experience running a bench.
Conley’s role is different, but the intent is similar: give more people ownership and create a shared understanding between the coaches and players. Mazzulla said Conley’s nearly two decades in the league, alongside successful teams and coaches, make him a valuable voice. With new players joining the group, Mazzulla believes there is value in players understanding what the staff sees — and coaches hearing how players process the game — before tougher decisions arrive.
Conley and Mazzulla are only beginning their first season together, but Conley said the exercise helped advance that relationship. He described Mazzulla as a coach who gives people around him responsibility and keeps them involved. When Mazzulla asked him to stop by his office before the game, Conley suspected an assignment was coming, even if he did not know what form it would take.
Conley’s on-court role could be smaller this season, but his standing in the locker room is already evident. New teammates have sought out his perspective, and Sam Hauser interrupted Conley’s postgame discussion to tell him he would be an excellent coach someday.
Conley jokingly agreed, though he said he is not certain coaching will be his immediate move after he retires. He knows the job demands long hours and said he might need time to work his way into it. Still, he made clear that he wants to remain connected to basketball, whether through coaching, management or another role.
For one preseason night, he was a player in uniform functioning as a rotation coordinator, sounding board and extra set of eyes beside Mazzulla. Conley said Boston is a new situation and a learning opportunity, and he intends to embrace whatever responsibility is placed in front of him — player, coach or teammate.
