Celtics

Report: Celtics are expected to lose three assistant coaches to Ime Udoka, Rockets

Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles, and Mike Moser are expected to follow Udoka to Houston.

“We’ll look at everything based on these [27] games and see where changes need to be made,” coach Ime Udoka said of his struggling Celtics.

By Khari Thompson

May 31, 2023

Three assistant coaches on Joe Mazzulla’s staff are expected to leave the Celtics for the Houston Rockets, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.

The Houston Rockets’ head coach is Ime Udoka, who was suspended by the Celtics for multiple team policy violations before he and the team parted ways.

Mazzulla, a former Udoka assistant himself, was named interim coach in Udoka’s absence and later had the interim tag removed.

“According to an NBA source, assistants Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles, and Mike Moser are expected to join Ime Udoka’s staff in Houston, leaving three or more openings on Mazzulla’s staff,” wrote Washburn.

According to NBA.com, Udoka and Sullivan knew each other from the basketball scene in Portland where they both attended college, and Udoka gave Sullivan a recommendation to join the Spurs as an intern over a decade ago. Sullivan joined the Celtics in 2021 after stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks.

Miles, who is also from Portland, was teammates with Udoka in the G-League during their playing days. Miles had a brief stint with the Golden State Warriors as a player before a lengthy overseas playing career. He’s spent the bulk of his coaching career in the Warriors’ organization, first with Santa Cruz, then with Golden State.

Moser, who was hired last summer as a player development coach, previously held the same role with the Dallas Mavericks. He was also an assistant coach for the University of Oregon women’s basketball team.

The Celtics have an opportunity with the reported openings to reload on coaching talent. Boston had already lost Udoka, [Utah Jazz coach] Will Hardy, and [Georgia Tech coach] Damon Stoudamire within the past year. Now there are several spots that could be used to add support for Mazzulla, who was hired a few days before the season started last year.

According to Washburn, joining the Celtics and coaching a team that was one game away from reaching the NBA Finals would be a scenario a number of former head coaches and experienced assistants would be interested in.