From the outset of his tenure in Boston, Celtics first-year coach Ime Udoka had no issue calling out the flaws of his new team.
Even at his introductory press conference, Udoka jokingly mocked Boston’s lack of ball movement last season in front of his predecessor Brad Stevens, and went on to publicly question the Celtics effort and focus level during their early-season struggles.
Udoka’s brashness was a stark contrast to that of the mild-mannered Stevens, who almost always assumed responsibility for the team’s failure instead of putting much of anything on his players.
There’s no question the Celtics gravitated toward, and got more out of, Udoka’s blunt style of coaching. Robert Williams has seen it paid dividends, and knows Udoka will hold him and the rest of his teammates accountable, like he did for Williams during Boston’s playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“He had bigger expectations, better expectations for me,” Williams said of Udoka during Wednesday’s NBA Finals media day. “I got a great relationship with coach Udoka. I’m one of those guys he can say stuff like that to. Playing against the Bucks, he looked at me one time and just told me, ‘You going to stop letting those (expletive) run you over?’ He knows I respond well when he challenges me like that.”
While Williams believes both Udoka and Stevens “weren’t afraid to step on toes” with how they handled issues, Grant Williams sees a difference in styles between the two coaches.
With Udoka not afraid to confront players and their mistakes, especially in a public forum, it could have taken some time for the Celtics to adjust. But for Grant Williams, it felt just like old times.
“Not for me. I love that. I had coach (Rick) Barnes back in college. He was that all the time,” Grant Williams said. “I feel Brad, he does a phenomenal job, especially X’s and O’s, and personality he’s very less so confrontational guy compared to Ime. So maybe for other guys it might have caught them off guard, but it kind was just a refresher for me.”
Stevens should get some credit for the team’s success this season by the way, as he constructed the roster as Boston’s president of basketball operations. But it’s evident that Udoka was clearly the right coach for this Celtics group instead of Stevens, as Udoka now has Boston four wins away from an NBA title.
