While Boston Celtics front office leader Brad Stevens was busy trading away Jaylen Brown and signing Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley this offseason, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was busy figuring out how he could improve and evolve in his role.

One of the ways that he decided he could do that was by visiting his players in their home towns and their comfort zones. That meant visiting Jordan Walsh in Texas, Baylor Scheierman in Nebraska, Luka Garza in Iowa, Neemias Queta in Portugal and Hugo Gonzalez in Spain, among others.

Speaking with Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston on Tuesday, the players - and Mazzulla - reflected on his summer of travel. Mazzulla said he wanted to form different relationships with players and wanted to "meet them where they're at."

The players all seem to appreciate Mazzulla's willingness to go the extra mile as well, with Gonzalez saying it was fun to have him in his hometown, Queta reflecting on showing him Portuguese cuisine and Walsh talking about showing him some real Texas barbecue.

How many extra wins will this help the Celtics get this season? Nobody really knows, but it certainly is a sign of respect - and effort - on Mazzulla's part, and it will clearly go a long way toward garnering respect from his players. At the end of the day, it's a head coach's job to be someone who the players want to play hard for, and these types of gestures make that easier.

A former college player at West Virginia, Mazzulla is still just 38 years old. He served as an assistant coach for the Celtics from 2019-22 before getting thrust into the spotlight in the wake of Ime Udoka being let go.

Since then, he's gone 328-238 (72.6 winning percentage) in four seasons. He's been to the playoffs all four years, including winning the NBA title in 2023-24.

Last season, playing largely without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics went 56-26 and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Of course, they were upset in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.

This year, without Brown, the Celtics will provide Mazzulla with a different challenge. But they are still expected to be contenders in the East.

The Celtics will open up the preseason on Thursday in Cleveland against the Cavaliers, who reached the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago.