Marcus Smart Credits Ime Udoka As ‘Positive Force’ During Celtics’ Surge

The Boston Celtics are surging up the Eastern Conference standings, currently sitting in fifth place with a 38-27 record. The Celtics are now just one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for fourth place after a rocky start to the season.

Marcus Smart credits the Celtics’ recent ascent up the standings, in part, to head coach Ime Udoka.

“You’ve got to give him credit, he does a great job of staying with us,” Smart told reporters Thursday in a postgame media conference. “It would have been easy for him to go and be like, ‘What the hell is going on with this group?’ But he continued to stay a positive force, encourage us, stay on top of us, hold us accountable, and it’s starting to show, rightfully so.”

Udoka received NBA Coach of the Month in February, and is now 2-0 in March without one of his best players, Jaylen Brown.

“He deserved that and we’re very proud of him, and we want to continue to go out and play the way he wants us to, for him,” Smart told reporters.

The Celtics will be back in action at TD Garden at 1 p.m. ET Sunday as they take on the Brooklyn Nets.