Boston Celtics: 3 bold predictions for the 2021-22 season
No. 2: Ime Udoka will win Coach of the Year
It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics had a leadership crisis of sorts last season. Any outsider could tell there was a level of miscommunication between the front office and the coaching staff. Brad Stevens was clearly confused by the moves the front office was making, and seemed to have no idea on what he needed to do to get the team to win.
It wasn’t surprising to see the front office and coaching staff get revamped almost immediately after the season ended. Danny Ainge retired, and Stevens was given his old role. Replacing Stevens as the head coach was former Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Ime Udoka. Udoka had previously worked with Tatum, Brown, and Smart during their time with Team USA, and it wasn’t surprising to hear these three give ringing endorsements for Udoka.
Udoka needs to come in establish control of the locker room in a way that Stevens did early on in his tenure as Celtics head coach. Finding ways to get the best out of your players is key, and it’s something Stevens struggled with last season. Udoka should already have the respect of the three key guys that he has already worked with, and that should help him establish credibility in the locker room.
If the Celtics are to have the bounce back season they are widely expected to have, Udoka will need a full buy in from the roster. That starts with the stars and goes all the way down to number 15 on the roster. Without that, Udoka will find himself in the same spot that Stevens was just a few months back.
All signs point to Udoka being able to accomplish this, and that will be key in determining how this season plays out for Boston. If Udoka can reestablish this team as one of the top two or three teams in the Eastern Conference in his first season, he would seemingly have an inside track at winning Coach of the Year. Here’s saying that he will accomplish that, and a big reason why is because he is able to get the best out of Boston’s two young stars. Speaking of which…