As Ime Udoka takes over as Celtics head coach, one of his most important tasks will be helping Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take the next steps in their careers and grow from talented young stars into players who can be the leaders of a championship-caliber team.
Udoka has some experience coaching a player through that kind of career arc. While he was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, he saw a young Kawhi Leonard become an NBA Finals MVP and All-NBA First Team player.
Udoka said part of his message for Tatum and Brown will be the same as the one he shared with Leonard.
"Talking to Kawhi Leonard as a young guy, I used to tell him, 'Why wait? What are you waiting for?' These guys don't give you too much respect, and I'd say the same thing to Jayson and Jaylen," Udoka said Monday during his introductory press conference.
"The sky's the limit. The fact that you're not All-NBA, that should be a chip on your shoulder. You should play with that itch and want to prove people wrong. My message to them would be, 'Why wait?' The talent is there. The work ethic is there. There's a chance to be a better leader and more vocal at times. Don't wait for anything. Go out and take it now."
Udoka has coached several Celtics, including Tatum and Brown, before. He was an assistant on Gregg Popovich's Team USA staff at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and had Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart on that team. He was an assistant in Philadelphia during Al Horford's one season there, and he said he's also known Payton Pritchard since he was "a young kid in Portland" (Udoka is also from Portland).
He said those connections and the upside of the roster with Tatum and Brown in particular is part of what made the Celtics the most attractive coaching job for him this summer.
"The perception of them [Tatum and Brown] outside this organization is All-NBA-level players, MVP-caliber players," Udoka said. "Getting to know them over the last couple years, you see their growth. They've taken huge leaps this past year, and we look forward to them continuing in that progress. It's my job to put them in situations to be successful and push them to be greater. Like I said, the sky's the limit with those guys.
"When all the job openings happened this summer, I think it was pretty evident that Boston is the one that was most attractive based on the organization, the history, the expectations, but also the players on the roster. You have two foundational young pillars like those two, it's exciting to build around them and continue to help them grow and reach their potentials. The sky's the limit with those two and we're excited to work with them and continue to see them grow throughout their career."
Tatum, Brown and Smart were all looped in on the coaching search, and Udoka reportedly had "significant support" from them. While there is clearly a positive relationship there to build on, Udoka also made it clear that he won't be afraid to push those players, and that they know and understand that.
"They're gonna allow me to coach them, push them. They know I'm gonna be on their ass, and that's what they like about me," Udoka said. "They've asked me about that. They want to be pushed. They want to be directed towards winning. And you expect that from your stars. Like I said, they all have different personality traits. Marcus is one way, Jaylen is, and Jayson is as well. But the bottom line is they want to win and help us get banner 18."
Udoka said that's where having good relationships with the players and earning their trust comes into play.
"I think it's all relationship-based," he said. "You have to build that foundation off the court somewhat and also understand you can't coach everybody the same way. What motivates others might embarrass others. So you find a balance there, but like I said, it comes down to trust, respect and being in alignment with our goals. I think the players, it comes down to character ultimately, also. Do they want to be pushed and taking constructive criticism?
"I think we have a group that has done that so far, the times I've been with them. I think just in our conversations lately, they're looking forward to that. It's just striking a balance of knowing their personalities and how they want to be coached. … I'm not worried about our group and hard coaching. They're asking for that, and it's something I'm going to bring to the table."
