Boston Celtics: 3 biggest challenges facing Ime Udoka as new head coach

Inspire young Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to the next level

Let’s face it, the biggest job and challenge for Ime Udoka as the new Boston Celtics head coach is to help motivate both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to the next level of their careers.

To some degree, you can add Marcus Smart to that, but the focus is on those two players who continue to ascend every season when it comes to scoring, but the challenge for Udoka is to help them grow into complete players and emerge as those Alpha-dog leaders the team needs.

While Stevens has done his part in adding some nice pieces around them, there will continue to be rumors about the team eventually adding that third superstar.  Who that superstar will be will depend on how both players continue to grow together.  Udoka, as a former player, will be able to relate to them in that concept and the championship experience he brings to Boston from the Spurs should help motivate them into a new type of hunger.

As both players have helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals, there needs to be that fuel to reach their ultimate goal.  The hiring of Udoka should help infuse that burning desire to get this Boston Celtics team back in the top-level of NBA Finals contenders.

So far, they both seem happy and encouraged by their new head coach.  That’s a good starting point.  But, the ultimate test for Ime Udoka will be when this team struggles and those players level of leadership is questioned once again.