It hasn't taken Joe Mazzulla long to prove himself as a head coach in the NBA.
A member of Boston's coaching staff since 2019-20, Mazzulla was named interim head coach of the Celtics ahead of the 2022-23 season, stepping in for Ime Udoka, who is suspended for the entire campaign for violations of team policies.
Through a third of the season, the Celtics not only have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but they have the best record in the entire NBA. They look every bit like a title contender.
Mazzulla's coaching has played a big role in Boston's success so far, and the internet is now convinced they know some of his secrets because of a Quizlet account suspected to be his.
MORE: Jayson Tatum says Celtics hot start means nothing if 'we don't hang a banner'
Here's a vid on how @groovyk8 may have stumbled across Joe Mazzulla's old scouting reports yesterday.
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) December 16, 2022
And a written story here, from @crabdribbles. https://t.co/ZdJmauO5AB pic.twitter.com/H8IOJqQAIu
Joe Mazzulla's Quizlet account, explained
Here's how we got here.
On Dec. 15, Twitter user @groovyk8 tweeted that they were "trying to memorize all the Phoenix Suns players so I could talk shop with my bf" on Quizlet and stumbled across an account suspected to be run by Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.
The first giveaway? Screenshots shared showed the account's name was "Joseph_Mazzulla" and featured an avatar of Mazzulla with his family. The second? It housed some detailed scouting reports on teams and players.
Was trying to memorize all the Phoenix Suns players so I could talk shop with my bf and accidentally found Joe Mazzulla’s quizlet account. Is this the secret to the Celtics’ success? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/L0jisGr0Na
— qtkt (@groovyk8) December 16, 2022
The tweet quickly gained steam on Twitter and became the No. 1 story on NBA Reddit.
The account in question is no longer available.
Is Joe Mazzulla's Quizlet account real?
According to Reddit user lilachocolate, Mazzulla's wife, Camai Mazzulla, responded on Twitter with the following message:
Laughing at the fact that people think my husband was quizzing himself or something on Quizlet 😂 internet is undefeated.
That tweet, however, appears to have been deleted.
Ahead of Boston's meeting with Orlando on Dec. 16, Mazzulla was asked about the account. While he did not confirm or deny the account's authenticity, his answer did not do much in the way of giving an answer.
Joe Mazzulla was asked about the quizlet account. He said quizlet is a great resource for retaining information.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 16, 2022
What was on Joe Mazzulla's suspected Quizlet account?
The Quizlet account suspected to be Mazzulla's was home to some pretty detailed scouting reports on both NBA players and teams. While the account has been deleted, a user on Reddit archived most of its content.
For example, here's what was written about LeBron James:
ALERT TO LEAKOUTS. LOOKS FOR PULL UP 3'S IN TRANSI-
TION. RIGHT SHOULDER IN THE POST. CANT LET HIM GET
A RHYTHM. BASELINE FADEAWAY JUMPER. ALERT TO TOP
CUTS WHEN OTHERS ARE POSTING.
Here's what was written about Stephen Curry:
his shots are in Transition. can't relax on post entries and when
he passes the ball. always relocating. Bigs must be UTT. Body
Position is key. he relocates on OR's
Here's what was written about Michael Porter Jr.:
selfish player always looking to score for himself. hunts transition
3's. coming off screens looking to shoot. he is a great cutter on
pnrs and Jokic post ups. be alert to all times. be ready for his duck
in as well from the weak side
And here's what was written about Kyle Kuzma, which many on Reddit got a kick out of:
ALERT TO LEAKOUTS. GOOD SHOOTER HE IS HUTING
SHOTS. IS VERY AGGRESSIVE. LIKES TO SHOOT OFF HIS
LEFT HAND. RIGHT HAND DRIVER WILL SETTLE FOR PULL
UPS. HE IS NOT PASSING
The account was said to have not been updated since April 2021, before Mazzulla was named interim head coach of the Celtics.
What is Quizlet?
Quizlet is a site that "makes simple learning tools that let you study anything." It includes flashcards, matching games and live quizzes.
Quizlet markets itself to students to "improve their grades and reach their goals."