Joe Mazzulla, who has openly called the Coach of the Year award "stupid," won the honor Tuesday after guiding a rebuilding Boston Celtics roster to a 56-26 record and the Eastern Conference's second seed despite significant roster losses and not having Jayson Tatum until March.

The NBA announced Mazzulla edged finalists J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons and Mitch Johnson of San Antonio Spurs. Mazzulla received 62 first place votes, 24 second place votes and 10 third place votes for 392 total points. Bickerstaff had 29 first place votes, 51 second place votes and 14 third place votes. Johnson received the final nine first place votes. Charles Lee of the Charlotte Hornets and Jordan Ott of the Phoenix Suns rounded out the top-5.

"Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night," said Mazzulla. "This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named Staff of the Year."

Boston lost Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet in a cost-cutting offseason, replacing them largely with players without established NBA roles. The Celtics still finished second in offensive efficiency and fourth in both defensive efficiency and net rating.

Brad Stevens credited Mazzulla's ability to develop inexperienced players under difficult circumstances.

"With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team," said Stevens. "He pours everything he has into competing at a high level while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team."

Mazzulla prioritized building a stronger learning environment after losing so many seasoned veterans. Tatum returned in early March, and Boston went 13-3 to close the regular season before the playoff collapse.