3 Reasons Ime Udoka is a Fantastic Hire for the Celtics

(celticsblog.com)

3. NBA Experience as Player & Coach

(nbcsports.com)

The NBA is beginning to trend in favor of respected former players when filling head coaching vacancies. Boston, before Brad Stevens, had a history of hiring former players, typically ones that wore green in the past. Coaches like Bill Russell, KC Jones, and Tom Heinsohn are responsible for many of the banners hanging in the Garden. For the better part of the last decade, the Celtics lacked real veteran leadership on the court and the sidelines. Don’t get me wrong, Brad Stevens was a terrific coach. His ability to get players to buy into a system and play at maximum effort should be applauded. Not to mention his wizardry often shown drawing up plays during timeouts. Stevens’ flaw, which only grew over his last few years, was his inability to coach and manage NBA superstars. His lack of league experience made it tough for players to fully lock in with him in big moments. Udoka’s experience in big games as a player means a lot to young stars. His advice will hold more weight from day 1 because of it. Udoka will know what buttons to push and when to do so. I believe his presence at the helm is huge for the growth of Tatum and Brown and an obvious move in the right direction.

2. Existing Relationship with Stars

(Joe Murphy/Getty Images)

Udoka’s name wasn’t just picked out of a hat for this job. He was a serious candidate for the position the minute Danny Ainge resigned and Stevens got a big boy raise. Boston interviewed numerous people for the position, but Ime always seemed to be a frontrunner. This is because of his solid existing relationship with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. Udoka was part of the coaching staff for Team USA in 2019. He worked with all 3 Celtics on a daily basis and earned their respect quickly. Tatum and Brown have both been public with their gratitude toward Udoka, even before the coaching vacancy. They have raved about Ime’s ability to push players and his defense first mindset. The Celtics need Ime to be the head of a quick culture change in Boston. Typical Celtics basketball hasn’t been played for 2-3 years now. Udoka is going to be tasked with making that happen, and doing it immediately.

1. Defensive Mindset

(Paul Sancya/AP)

As I eluded to earlier, Udoka comes in with a serious emphasis on defense. This was likely instilled in him by Gregg Popovich. If you don’t know, Pop is widely considered to be a Mount Rushmore of Head Coaches kinda guy. GOAT discussion certainly. Udoka played 3 seasons under Popovich, then transitioned to an Assistant Coach role under Pop for another 7. Udoka played an important role in the Spurs 2014 Championship run. A team that finished 3rd in defensive rating that season by the way. Ime was also critical in the recruitment of free agents to San Antonio. After two briefs stops as an Assistant in Philly and Brooklyn, he’s got his chance to flex his muscles. That defensive mindset Pop drilled into him is going to be massive for this young Celtics team. The Celtics have been very good on defense in the past. Stevens was able to have five guys on a string at all times for the better part of the last 8 seasons. But Boston’s defense fell off massively last season and was the primary reason for their struggles. A defense that was routinely Top 5 in the league slipped to 14th. The Celtics lacked effort on many occasions last season. It was reported that players began to “tune out" Brad Stevens, and it showed. If the Celtics were down more than 12 points in the 2nd Half, they were losing that game. Udoka’s fresh face and no BS attitude should cure the defensive woes and activity issues Boston has.