Psycho Joe Mazzulla Is Suddenly Jacked As Hell And Will Absolutely Beat Your Ass

Thearon W. Henderson. Getty Images.

While no NBA coach is perfect, there's a lot to like about Joe Mazzulla. He's an absolute quote machine, he's elite at relationship building with players, he owns the greatest winning percentage of any head coach in NBA history, since taking over in 2022-23 his system has never finished lower than 2nd in offensive rating (even with Tatum missing 90% of last season), no team has won more regular season or playoff games, he secured Banner 18, the list goes on and on. 

Somewhere high on the list is also the fact that he fully embraces the Psycho Joe nickname. In fact, I can't think of a more perfect description for our basketball psycho and I think part of the reason it works so well is because it's truly who he is as a person. All of it is as authentic as it gets. The haters and losers, of whom there are still many, will call it a schtick, but I think we've learned over the last 4 years that it's anything but. This is just how his brain is wired, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

We've heard about his ju-jitsu training and how he was so pissed after a bad loss to the Hawks in 2024 that he was so pissed and trained so hard that he tore his MCL, and as it turns out, it goes even further since Joe is also a big MMA guy

Uhhhhhh holy shit??????

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Maybe I missed it, but when did Joe get absolutely jacked like that?? I mean, it's not as if he was ever fat and out of shape or anything, but THAT? I'll admit, I had to double-take to make sure this wasn't NBACentel like how Alex Caruso once got drug tested because of a photoshop of him looking jacked as hell over the offseason

but as it turns out, this was in fact really Psycho Joe. What I want to know is what type of Super Soldier serum is he on and can we give some to Paul George for this upcoming season? We all saw what that HGH or whatever he took last year did for his game, so I would very much like him to be given whatever Brad Stevens has Joe on. I can't say I'm well-versed in MMA training, but I'm pretty sure it's not exactly normal/common to have a 6 pack on your back right? 

In terms of how he relates all of this to coaching, this is another thing I love about Joe. He's always learning. He's proactive in finding new ways to be the best coach he can be, talking to different coaches from different sports, getting different perspectives on things and finding ways to improve his flaws. This isn't the case of a coach talking the talk but not walking the walk, it's the exact opposite. I think that's why he's able to relate to well to players, because he's doing the same type of work himself. 

Again, Joe is not perfect. His performance in the 2026 playoffs was what I would call…less than ideal. The silver lining? He didn't make excuses, he owned it

It's stuff like this that truly leaves me confused when some fans out there scream for Joe to be fired. I'm sorry, am I taking crazy pills? He's someone who "gets" what it means to coach for this franchise, he's a local guy, he's wildly successful, he brings the best out of his players, he won a title, he's an absolute maniac both on and off the floor, and he's accountable.

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Is that not EXACTLY what you would want in your head coach?

Yes, there have been some bad losses and inexcusable blown series during his tenure. Yes, there are times he failed or came up short. That's sports. But when you add it all up, there's nobody I would want to lead this team and this franchise more than Psycho Joe.