The 2021-22 NBA season is upon us, and the Boston Celtics are set to start a new chapter with new head coach Ime Udoka.
Coming off a disappointing and underachieving 36-36 season, the Celtics front office went through a couple of surprise changes that were necessary to shake things up a bit for a team seemed to have lost their favor as an overall team despite the transcendence of young, rising superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
To be fair, injuries and the invasion of COVID-19 were factors, but it was apparent Brad Stevens lost the locker room as the head coach and former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge simply lost his touch in roster building and adding quality players to surround that young duo of Tatum and Brown.
Boston Celtics start the offseason with suprise moves
So, what happens after the team is bounced out of the first round of the playoffs by Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and the mighty Brooklyn Nets?
Ainge decides to resign and the team moves Stevens from the head coaching ranks into the front office. As one of the first moves as the new president of basketball operations, Stevens hires Udoka who served as an assistant coach under Greg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs.
Udoka wasn’t the biggest name out there, but he checked all the boxes of what many critics felt the Boston Celtics needed in their next head coach. He is a former player, who is African American coming from an organization with a history of championship success.
Above all, Udoka will bring a new energy to the bench that is expected to ignite excitement amongst the players.
So, when thinking about the 3 biggest challenges facing the Celtics new head coach besides taking over for a coach like Stevens who was considered one of the top young coaches in the league, it all starts with getting this team lead by Tatum and Brown back on the path of championship contention.
Inject a new wave of energy in the Boston Celtics locker room
The Boston Celtics simply didn’t seem motivated in 2020-21.
In losing many games to subpar teams during their disappointing season, it was apparent the team lacked that energy on both sides of the court to start games. Nothing changed as far as the coaching philosophy of Brad Stevens, yet the players just didn’t seem to buy in.
Was that due to the team’s recent success and the belief that they were just good enough to step on the court and win games?
To a degree, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were able to carry the team, but veteran newcomers like Tristan Thompson and Evan Fournier never really meshed and there was an obviously decline in the defensive tenacity of Marcus Smart.
As is usually the case when this team underachieves, there was some rumored tension in the locker room. A tension and decline in effort that Stevens just couldn’t solve or resolve. So, now the team is looking at Udoka to inject a new wave of energy that will start with a different coaching strategy.
"“The first thing I would say is a hands-on approach with the coaching staff, building the relationships, the relatability and then getting out there and griding with the guys,” Udoka said during his introduction, as transcribed by NESN. “I’m looking for energy, juice in the building, a great environment to produce winning. That’s what I’m looking for in my staff ? a little bit of mix. I don’t feel like I have to have a veteran staff as opposed to an energetic staff, so I’m looking in both areas. Like I said, a ton of great candidates, and we’re nailing that down as we speak.”"
Udoka should have a head start on that from his experience coaching Tatum, Brown and Smart during their time playing for USA Basketball, recently Tatum with Team USA who took home gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Boston Celtics: Find the best combination of veterans and young players
One of the first big moves by Brad Stevens as the front office big man was trading Kemba Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford and young big man Moses Brown.
He then traded Brown to the Dallas Mavericks for Josh Richardson. Another priority was to trade Tristan Thompson and that was accomplished in a deal that initially brought Kris Dun and forward Bruno Fernando to Boston. Dunn was then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Juancho Hermangomez.
Along with the free agent signings of Enes Kanter and Dennis Schröder, the Boston Celtics head coach now has a new mix of veterans and young players to add to the core lead by Tatum, Brown and Smart.
At the same time, each of those acquisitions should help the further growth of players like Robert Williams, Payton Prichard, Romeo Langford, Grant Williams and Aaron Nesmith.
It is the progression of those four players that could have the biggest impact on the upcoming season, and it will be up to Udoka to find the right mixes that helps those players grow, while at the same time creating chemistry with the players added.
Horford will help that process when he does return to the floor after being placed on Covid-19 protocol. He will be that veteran leader the team has been missing since he left two seasons ago. No knock on Kemba Walker, but Horford’s vocal leadership and the example he sets on the court through his play should benefit a young player like Robert Williams and also Grant Williams who models his game off of Horford.
In all, it is a nice mixture for Udoka to work with. Without injuries or Covid-19 getting in the way, his challenge will be to find the right groupings at the right time. This of course leads to his biggest challenge.
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.