Boston Celtics: Ime Udoka could win Coach of the Year

Boston Celtics fans haven’t even gotten a taste of Ime Udoka yet. Despite this, he could have the best hope to bring home an NBA award to Boston next season.

Udoka joining the Celtics is the perfect storm for him to win Coach of the Year. If they can be a top team in the East, he could have a serious chance to win.

It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics were one of the most disappointing teams last season. They were coming off of an Eastern Conference Finals run and had Finals hopes. Unfortunately, COVID and other various injuries completely derailed their season. It was a rocky year for everyone, but the Boston Celtics got hit especially hard.

They ended up finishing the regular season with a 36-36 record. This was followed up with a first-round loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Just last season, three of the top candidates to win the award were first or second-year coaches with their respective teams. Tom Thibodeau, Monty Williams, and Doc Rivers all finished top four in voting. Thibodeau ended up winning the actual award, while Williams took home the award voted on by the Coach’s Association.

There’s one thing in common between all three of these coaches: they were in a relatively new situation and helped drastically improve their team’s record.

In the 2019-20 season the Knicks went 21-45, the Suns went 34-39, and the 76ers went 43-30. Fast forward past the 2020-21 season and New York improved to 41-31, Phoenix improved to 51-21, and Philadelphia improved to 49-23.

All three teams took massive jumps under their first or second-year head coach. Udoka has an opportunity to do something similar with the Boston Celtics.

Brad Stevens wasn’t a bad coach, but if Udoka can help lead the Celtics to a better record next year, he could get a lot of the credit. His defensive mindset and ability to foster good relationships with players make him a great man for this job.

Taking a team from the middle of the pack to the top of the East is the perfect storyline. Voters love a good story, and Udoka can definitely give it to them.

For the sake of Boston Celtics fans everywhere, hopefully he can impress everyone. The franchise has consistently high expectations, and if Udoka can meet them, a Coach of the Year award could be in his future.