Uros Dragicevic, Serbian basketball coach, was part of the Boston Celtics staff during the preseason, and on that occasion he spoke to Basketball Sphere.
He started his basketball journey by leaving Serbia more than 10 years ago, and after working in Sasa Obradovic’s staff in Monaco, he is now actively participating in preparations and individual training with some of the best players in Spain.
Why is this important to mention?
It is precisely because one job turned into a friendship after Kemba Walker signed for Monaco. Basketball connects people across all meridians and parallels, and that is how he also met Joe Mazzulla, coach of the Boston Celtics.
“What shows how broad-minded the coach of one of the most famous franchises of all time is, is the fact that during the summer he came to Europe to watch national team games, and that is how I got an invitation I could not refuse – to be part of the Boston Celtics staff during the training camp preparing for the NBA season.”
“I heard from Kemba…”
“His question was what plans I had for the summer? After that, he invited me to be a guest with the Boston Celtics during the preseason. I cannot say that I was part of the coaching staff, but an active member of the whole process, yes. I observed scouting, attended meetings, and followed everything happening there.
My shock was that I expected everything to be completely American, but I was very positively surprised by how meticulous and detailed Joe Mazzulla is, taking care of all possible aspects. And I do not just mean the game, but all things off the court and his way of functioning with players, coaching staff, everyone in the offices…” started Uros Dragicevic.
Workday at the Boston Celtics training camp
“In the training center, players have everything they need, from the kitchen to a dedicated chef during working hours. There is a breakfast menu, each player has an app to order what they want while driving to the arena and when it will arrive. There are also two huge courts with a gym with all recovery equipment and a phenomenal medical center.
Everything a player could imagine is there. Official gathering is at 9:30 AM, but coaches usually arrive an hour earlier. After breakfast, they go to the office for a meeting lasting a maximum of 20 minutes. Almost 20 people are present – Joe Mazzulla and his 12 assistants, plus three G League coaches. That is the stamp he puts on the training, and the whole work plan is reviewed.
The strength and conditioning coach explains what happened the previous day, if there were any injuries, what the doctors say, and as far as I could see, a lot of technology is used with analysts and scouts tracking every movement parameter. Everything is measured to the smallest detail. There are four offensive and four defensive coaches, depending on the topic, sharing opinions on which lineups could be on the floor.
Each coach is allowed to share their opinion; some are accepted, some set aside. After the meeting, players are split into two groups, some go to the gym, others do individual work. In that work, for 20-25 minutes, players go through situations they will face in the main part of the training, through prepared systematic corrections. There is not much repetition; once a player masters a detail, they move to the next thing.” did not spare words our interlocutor.
Competitiveness at every moment and Mazzulla quote often repeated
“What personally caught my attention is that every exercise is competitive at every moment. Always a competition, whether someone hits five shots first or touches the out-of-bounds line, there is always something giving them additional motivation to win. Joe Mazzulla is constantly active, going through everything. After individual and team exercises, they move to the main part of training.
Coach Mazzulla has one very good quote I remembered and repeated to the team many times while I was there: ‘Do not try to look at what we cannot do, but show what we can do.’”
War zone at training
“I attended a nearly three-hour training. There is a video on social media where Jaylen Brown says these trainings are not normal. It is from 11:00 to almost 14:00. Full sprint, pressing, hand on the passing line, active hands in ball handling, in offense as simple and fast as possible to score. War zone all the time, all through competitions.
What I liked about Mazzulla is that he often works with players’ mental state. He challenges them to have a hunger to win, to want to win, and it is always important. It is not about running around the court; it requires intelligence, respecting the agreed details set in the first part of training. On the second day of the camp, 4-on-4 without dribbling, seven minutes nonstop across the entire court. Ego and competitiveness do not allow them to fall.
The difference between America and Europe is that players came prepared for training. In Europe, players obviously do not come ready, so at the start of the EuroLeague, many are injured. They have the same training as in the NBA, but obviously, they were not well prepared. The more professional you are, the better you perform.”
Jaylen Brown – soldier
“He never complains, unlike others generally. I was interested in how Mazzulla communicates with the team’s biggest stars, how he treats them, and how he functions with the rest of the team, Brad Stevens, and everyone else. He is only 37, wants to be competitive, and is missing Jayson Tatum as the key cog.
He is so open with players. He has the ability to scold Jaylen Brown in front of everyone, but without humiliating him, letting him know some things are not right and that he can do much better. Jaylen Brown says: ‘Yes, coach, you are right.’ Then for 90 minutes, he goes all out and is an example for everyone else.”
“Jayson Tatum looks like he could play tomorrow”
“I told him the same – Jayson Tatum looks like he could play tomorrow. The level he is at now is incredible after a tough Achilles injury. Sprinting, lifting weights, working individually. I was very surprised that a guy around whom the franchise revolves, on every billboard, MVP, with his own shoe brand, does not need to be present at 8:45 AM. They have four hours of team training according to rules. He trains two, two and a half hours in the morning, then an hour and a half recovery break, and then another hour to hour and a half of training. He comes at 9 AM, finishes around 16:30.
He does not have to attend all this, but he is always there at 100%. Every morning he is at 8:45 for breakfast, in the gym, in the weight room. After finishing the gym, he attends team training, has lunch, then goes to the video room to watch training analysis. During the second team session, he is present for the second part of recovery before going home. You can see a leader, a winning mentality, someone who shows by example how much he values the franchise. That is why he always earns the respect of teammates. Every day, he is there at 100%.”
Coach Mazzulla’s relationship with players
“What I really liked is that Joe Mazzulla, after the entire training and interaction with players, positive and negative, can raise his voice, but also reward those who deserve it. During a break, he does his work, then approaches everyone individually, like he did with Hugo Gonzalez: ‘These two offensive rebounds today will earn you minutes.’ Then he approaches Brown: ‘You are the engine of the team, just keep it up, and no one will stop you this way.’ With him, you can always talk about anything, and all players know they can count on him.”
Uros Dragicevic was part of Monaco’s staff where he worked with one of Europe’s biggest stars, Mike James. The experience in America was an ideal opportunity to draw a parallel between the work of the best Boston Celtics players and what he experienced in Monte Carlo. Once again, it proved completely true that details separate the best from the average, and for these details it is necessary to dedicate yourself professionally to your body and sacrifice all those everyday things that waste time.
“Mike James and I joked, how I tell him I was watching History Channel while he dunks. He is always serious, what dunk anymore, just lay it in. There were doubts whether he would play last season after serious back surgery, but he did not miss a single EuroLeague game.
Now in the first round of the EuroLeague, he dunked over a guy. At this age, he postered someone at a very important moment. What separates these players the most, aside from physical talent, is how dedicated you are and how ready to sacrifice yourself and your time, family, friends, gaming time.
Jayson Tatum, to draw a parallel, won the World Cup, NBA, MVP, and All-Star, has his own brand, can do three hours of recovery and then go home, but he finishes his training, team training, and continues to work to return as soon as possible. He may return in April or May, but he has a clear goal – to be a leader. The same thing Mike James did, investing all his time and effort in his physical condition – he is a beast.” explained Uros Dragicevic.
Monaco faced a tough game, trailing for the majority. Despite Mike James' impressive 24 points and 5 assists, including a crucial dunk in the final minute to close the gap, it wasn't enough. Monaco needs to regroup quickly. #Basketball #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/kcvcGq0FOb
— NEWS.MC (@monacodailynews) October 9, 2025
Family atmosphere in the Celtics
“It is very important how players are chosen in such moments. I also spoke a little with Brad Stevens, who told me what type of player and what kind of person they choose. 90% of the Boston Celtics staff are family-oriented. The relationships that are formed are very specific. On the last day of the preseason camp, Joe Mazzulla and his wife organized a family day.
All players brought their wives and children, and so did the coaches. Socializing, sweets, balls, basketball, football, on the video screen the Red Sox game was watched, and you can see how certain chemistry and relationships are created among them. One word I learned from Mazzulla during these days is professionalism. There is a boundary, a line that is not crossed.”
The line of humanity and professionalism
“There was one situation where Jayson Tatum approached the coach and said that Thursday was a day off, but he asked when training starts on Friday. The reason he asked was to go to Duke, where a team presentation was organized, and he wanted to share sneakers with all the players and bring his son. He asked all of this because he wanted to make it back in time for Friday’s training. Coach Mazzulla told him it was important to go and return by 12 PM on Friday. He went and came back, not late for training, even though he could have arrived by 12, he showed up like every morning at 8:45.
He does not cross the line of humanity and professionalism, and that is why Coach Mazzulla accommodated him. The Boston Celtics staff is extremely young, which I also noticed. There is Phil Pressey, now head coach of the G League team, former player of Aleksandar Dzikic in Estudiantes. Most are former players who played in Europe and went through the same drill.
There is also Sam Cassell, who knows, dares, and can tell anyone what he thinks, because it is not the same when a coach says something to you, but individuals like this with big playing careers, whom players look up to as their own, because they understand each other very well. In general, the line is not crossed, which is a big difference compared to Europe.”
Open doors for the future
“There is a possibility that I will go again and visit them during the season. The invitation still stands, we established good communication while I was there. They follow Europe quite closely and have a good opinion. I am also interested in the American world, so we stay in touch, and we will see what comes of it.
What may happen from that relationship, I do not know, but what already happened for me is a huge experience, productive and valuable. Simply put, a space that breathes basketball.” concluded Uros Dragicevic.
