Reason #2 Ime Udoka-Boston Celtics hire was a home run: Familiarity
Though Udoka was a part of the San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets coaching staffs–meaning he never had the chance to cross paths in the association with the Boston Celtics’ homegrown talent–he does have experience with the Cs core through his international obligations.
Udoka has experience with “Team Shamrock” through his time with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup back in 2019:
Ime Udoka: new Celtics head coach, but not new coach to all
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) June 28, 2021
He coached Jaylen Brown, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart & Jayson Tatum with Team USA, Al Horford in Philly, and he's known Payton Pritchard since PP was a young kid.
Great to have those relationships already established. pic.twitter.com/jwOjYGrpR5
While some may look at his experience with that team as a negative considering their 7th place finish, the Houdini sees a collective chip that Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart now share with their former Team USA assistant coach.
It helps that perhaps the team’s fourth most important piece, Al Horford, also has a working relationship with him from their lone season together in the City of Brotherly Love with a Philadelphia 76ers team that was swept out of the postseason by none other than the Boston Celtics.