With a 33-10 record, Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics may be leading the NBA rankings. But despite spending much of his time off the field, Boston’s second-year head coach has not been immune to criticism.

And even though the most of those complaints surfaced during the 35-year-old coach’s developmental struggles in the 2022–2023 campaign, former Boston Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins delivered a biting assessment of Mazzulla after the team’s 102–100 loss to the Nuggets on Friday.

According to Perkins, “They have two Joe Mazzullas” on NBA Countdown with ESPN.They possess the mindset that says, “We’re going to get up more threes than you.” He looks terrific when they hit them. And there’s the other Joe Mazzulla, who just kind of stands there and makes you wonder. When you remove his brain and implant it in a bird, the bird will begin to fly backwards. Joe Mazzulla, you got that.

Why do I say that, you ask? He doesn’t get his guys’ easy looks, which is why. We kept shouting, assault the paint, over and over. There are a ton of guys that are excellent cutters. They can’t keep playing basketball in the AAU league all the time. Sets are essential.

During Mazzulla’s time as head coach, the Celtics’ reliance on the 3-ball has occasionally hurt them, most notably in the Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat last year.

Since Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday joined Boston’s roster this summer, the team’s ability to shoot well has improved, and the Celtics have not had many prolonged slumps this season.

However, putting too much focus on 3-point shooting leaves room for some decline and slumps. In the Nuggets game, Boston’s 3-point shooting performance was limited to 14 out of 44 attempts.

Perkins has frequently expressed disapproval of Boston’s coaching philosophy under Mazzulla.

Perkins revised his early-season assessment that Boston had a severely flawed roster, even though he acknowledged in late December that the Celtics were the “best team in the NBA.”

According to Perkins’ statement from last month, “Look, that starting five with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and (Kristaps) Porzingis—that is so electrifying.”And I am aware that everyone, even the doubters, thinks they shoot too many threes. Count me among them. However, I have faith in both their perimeter defense and their 3-point shooting. It should be favored for this team to win everything.