It took two losses for Ime Udoka to call out the Celtics in a way that his predecessor never would. Following their embarrassing home loss to the Raptors Friday, Udoka lambasted his team's lack of effort.
"That's as ugly as it can get," he told reporters. "One thing I can't stand as a coach is getting punked out there. I felt they basically came out and punked us, outplayed us, played harder than us, all the things we talked about."
There's no need to parse words there: Udoka is calling out his players' manhood. And they've responded.
It's a positive early litmus test.
The Celtics handled the Rockets Sunday, and then came back the following night and outlasted the Hornets in an overtime thriller. Jaylen Brown's posterizing dunk served as the exclamation point on a rousing comeback victory. The Celtics erased a 12-point fourth quarter deficit.
It was the kind of game that last year's team probably would've lost. Marcus Smart, who came through with a vintage performance, said as much afterwards. He told reporters they drop that contest "nine times out of 10" last season.
While four games is a small sample size, it's already apparent that Udoka is getting through to Jayson Tatum. The Celtics' star was pulled late in the third quarter of Friday's game against Toronto, and on Monday, he came through with 41 points.
It's vital that Udoka arrived with full endorsements from Tatum and Brown. The NBA is a star league, and right now, the Celtics are building around those two. Udoka's most important job is maintaining productive relations with them. So far, so good.
The roster is also better suited to compliment Tatum and Brown. Dennis Schroder is an excellent spark, and if Robert Williams can stay on the floor, the Celtics may finally have a threat in the front-court. The fourth-year big man is averaging 9.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, to go along with three blocks.
With games coming up against the Wizards, Bulls and Magic, the Celtics have an opportunity to create some early space in the Eastern Conference. The 2020-21 C's seldom capitalized on opportunities establish themselves.
This year's group seems motivated to change that. Perhaps all they needed was some new blood.
