What will Celtics Ime Udoka be like as Bostons new head coach?
Brad Stevens already made his first big splash as the Celtics president of basketball operations, but he likely executed his most important move Wednesday. The Celtics have their new head coach in former Nets assistant Ime Udoka, who gets his first shot at a head coaching gig in the NBA. The news comes days after Stevens traded Kemba Walker to the Thunder in a massive deal last Friday. While Bostons coaching search started with interviews with internal candidates, it soon expanded with multiple names thrown around the process. Udoka succeeds his new boss in Stevens, who made the jump from the sidelines to the front office. Udokas name carries respect around the league in coaching circles. He started his coaching career for the first seven years with the Spurs under Gregg Popovich. Then after a one-year stint with the 76ers, he landed in his most recent role with the Nets. The 43-year-old checks multiple boxes for the Cs. Hes a former player who will be well-liked by players, including endorsements from the most important Celtics. Udoka was an assistant on the USA Basketball squad that played in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, which featured Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart. The trio has reportedly raved about Udoka during the searching process. Hes got the perfect balance, former Spur Rudy Gay told Stadiums Jeff Goodman. Hell laugh and joke, but knows how to be serious. A lot of assistants tell you what you want to hear. Ime will give it straight to you.  Udoka should be a change-of-pace compared to Stevens, but there appear to be some similarities between the two coaches. Udoka, like Stevens, is a defensive-minded head coach whose team should show some toughness. That edge Udoka has could be beneficial for the Celtics, who looked like they didnt have that extra gear throughout the challenging past season. Of course, Udoka comes from the Popovich coaching tree after starting his career with the Spurs. He also worked for Brett Brown in Philadelphia and Steve Nash in Brooklyn. Udokas worked for this opportunity for about a decade and now he gets it. He exudes a confidence and a comfort in his own skin where people just gravitate to him, Popovich said in 2015 to ESPNs Kevin Arnovitz. Hes a fundamentally sound teacher because hes comfortable with himself, he knows the material and players read it.  The Celtics opening was the first head-coaching gig on the market and they were the first team to fill it. There are still plenty of opportunities to bolster the roster going forward. But now, they have a face to the position and someone who can build a new culture. Itll be different than the one Stevens built when he arrived in Boston in 2013. But with Stevens calling the franchises shots now in a new role, he said he was looking forward to building a connection with the new coach. The one thing that I should be good at is supporting the head coach and not being involved, Stevens said of the search Monday. My door is open, but I do not want to be anything but supportive. Ive told everybody that Ive talked to, in a weird way, in kind of a messed-up way, Im looking forward to the first time we lose and I can walk in there and put my arm around them and say, Ive lost a ton here. Lets go get a coffee. Lets go grab a beer. Its OK. Its part of a long journey. Im looking forward to that just being a support and staying out of it from a coaching perspective.