(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Ime Udoka was only head coach of the Boston Celtics for one season but he found a lot of success with that team during that brief time.
Speaking on the Point Forward podcast, Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum touched upon just how important Udoka was for the culture of the team.
He said that Udoka’s determined, no-nonsense mentality “ran through everybody” on the roster and it inspired them to play harder, even against their friends and teams they didn’t fear.
.@jaytatum0 Ime Udoka
Jayson shares what Ime did for the 2021-2022 Boston Celtics team & how much he respects Coach. pic.twitter.com/Ekv29KZ7h4
— Point Forward (@pointforward) December 11, 2023
According to Tatum, Udoka would call out Tatum and others for not guarding other NBA stars as much as they should be.
He used an example of a time when he wasn’t doing a great job defending LeBron James.
Udoka paused footage of them squaring off on the court and reminded Tatum that he and James might be friends but he couldn’t consider their relationship when playing against each other.
In Udoka’s mind, there is no such thing as friendship when two players are competing.
Udoka definitely did great things for the Celtics and led them to a 51-31 record during the 2021-22 season.
He was able to get them to the NBA Finals during his first year on the job, which is a major feat and testament to his skill.
He was poised to coach the team for years to come before his own off-court decisions derailed his career and led to his firing.
Of course, the Celtics have continued to stay dominant without Udoka and now he’s moved on to the Houston Rockets.
That team is starting to look better than it has in years, partly because of Udoka’s coaching.
The same mindset he instilled in Boston’s locker room has now made its way to Houston.
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