There was one remark Ime Udoka made Monday that stuck out to Cedric Maxwell more so than the rest.
Udoka, the new head coach of the Celtics, spent a good chunk of his introductory press conference discussing Boston’s franchise cornerstones, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Instead of sucking up to the pair of stars as many would do in his position, Udoka made it clear he’s going to be hard on Tatum and Brown as he tries to maximize their potential.
This made a good impression on Maxwell, who wants to see more aggression from “The Jays” in the 2021-22 season and beyond.
“There’s a sense of urgency,” Maxwell said Monday on “Early Edition” as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. “I believe that this team right now fundamentally is different. Ime comes in as a different personality. I think he’s logical, he loves the game in a different way, but what I loved about what he said, was ‘Guys expect me to get on their ass.’ That’s what I really want to see, that he’s going to challenge them on the court and off the court. I think that’s gonna be a good thing for the Celtics. …
“I want to see them challenged a lot more. Brown and Tatum, I don’t want to see them fight, but I want to see them get in conflict with other teams and be a lot more aggressive.”
Maxwell very well could see his hope come to fruition, as Tatum and Brown should enter next season with a chip on their shoulder given the way Boston’s 2020-21 campaign panned out.
