Newly appointed Celtics head coach, Ime Udoka shares a message he has for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
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Confirming multiple rumours in the League, the Boston Celtics have officially announced Ime Udoka as their 18th franchise head coach. Following their first-round elimination to the Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics have proceeded to make a series of decisive changes both in the front office and the roster, all with the sole aim of providing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown the tools they need to win a championship.
A former NBA player, Udoka’s last job was an assistant coaching position on the Brooklyn Nets this season. He held the same position for the Philadelphia 76ers, USA basketball and most notably the San Antonio Spurs under the tutelage of the great Greg Popovich.
Furthermore, serving as an assistant coach on the 2018 USA national team, Udoka had the opportunity to work with Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart which seemed to have gone well as the young stars seemed to resonate and connect with his coaching style and approach.
The 43-year-old has served as an assistant coach on multiple teams with superstar talent and will look to use his experience both as a player and coach to lead the Boston Celtic to their 18th Championship ring.
Ime Udoka shares a few words of motivation he has for Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
Addressing the media following his inauguration as head coach, Udoka talked about his mindset coming into his very first head coaching job. Udoka believes both Jayson and Jaylen are the ‘pillars’ of the Celtics and will serve as an incredible foundation to build a championship team around.
Shedding a little light on his methods of motivating and encouraging his players, Ime had this to say
“I want to tell Jayson and Jaylen: ‘The fact that you aren’t All-NBA should be a chip on your shoulder. Why wait? Go out and take it now.’ That’s a message I shared with Kawhi Leonard when we were pushing him to become a championship-calibre player in San Antonio.”
Both Tatum and Brown are top-notch players overflowing with unlimited potential. As their head coach, it will be interesting to see how Udoka taps into this potential making proper use of the talent that will be at his disposal.
“We have two young pillars, and I’m excited to work with a young crew of first-round picks that we need to accelerate their development,” he explained. “I’ll take something from all those steps as I did as a player and coach as well and look forward to having success with our guys.”
Udoka is well qualified for the position and is certainly saying all the right things. As the Celtics further equip themselves for the next season fans around the world will have their fingers crossed hoping this coach is the right fit.
