What Ime Udoka Told Jayson Tatum, Celtics Starters After Trade Additions

It’s fair to assume the Boston Celtics already have improved entering the 2022 campaign despite not playing a game together.

The Celtics’ additions of veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon and veteran sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari, at least on paper, depict a deeper group than the one that concluded its season in the NBA Finals. But in order for Boston to reach its ceiling next season, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka knows it’s up to the core of returners — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, etc. — to continue to improve.

Udoka shared that message after the recent additions entered the mix.

“I told the group, ‘With Malcolm and Danilo being added, it’s great for our depth. But the growth is going to have to come from you guys, the starting five.’ Those guys, they know that,” Udoka told reporters in Las Vegas, per CLNS Media. “They made some strides this year, but we can kind of hit the ground running next year due to what we did this year and them understanding what we want them to be. I think they did a tremendous job with that this year, but can still take steps for sure.”

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Brogdon and Gallinari should improve the Celtics’ bench that fell flat in the NBA Finals. Brogdon, 29, has expressed his commitment to serving as Boston’s sixth man. He’ll offer the Celtics both scoring and playmaking off the bench, which president of basketball operations Brad Stevens noted were two pivotal areas of need. Gallinari, with his 38% career 3-point clip, will allow Boston to space the floor while serving as a deep threat.

“Those guys are guys you have to account for,” Udoka told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.

Nevertheless, the Celtics won’t get back to where they were this year should the same areas — turnovers, offensive inconsistencies — plague them again.

“Yeah, continue to grow with what we done this year,” Udoka said. “You saw growth throughout the season, but one year under their belt and getting to where we did, we got better as the season went on, saw a lot of progress throughout the season. So, more of that.”

The Celtics certainly have started the offseason on a high note, and they’re hoping to continue to move in that direction throughout the rest of the summer.