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Boston Celtics: What Nets hiring Ime Udoka means for Joe Mazzulla

By Andrew Hughes

Following the Brooklyn Nets' shocking hiring of Ime Udoka as the next head coach, the Houdini breaks down what it means for Boston Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Following the Brooklyn Nets' shocking hiring of Ime Udoka as the next head coach, the Houdini breaks down what it means for Boston Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /
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Former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who led the Cs to their first NBA Finals in 12 years this past June, was shockingly hired by the Brooklyn Nets on November 1 following the firing of Steve Nash.

Nash’s run with the Nets was an unmitigated failure, as he won just a single postseason series in two years with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden (in 2021), and a slew of win-now veterans to support his stars. Udoka, on the other hand, only knew success as a head coach following a rocky start to the 2021-22 season, leading Boston to the best record in the Association in 2022 before he was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for having an affair with members of the organization.

Stephen A. Smith nailed this rumor a few weeks back during an appearance on ESPN First Take, and several other analysts badly missed this one by saying that Udoka wasn’t likely to ever coach again. Smith believed the reason Udoka was suspended was to keep him away from Brooklyn and shared his correct intel to an audience that didn’t believe it.

What does this all mean for current Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla? Well, MassLive’s Brian Robb feels that the organization letting Udoka leave this soon is a strong vote of confidence:

Former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka may not be able to fix the Nets

Make no mistake about it: the Brooklyn Nets have a talented roster from their top stars down to their young prospects at the end of the bench. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are the kinds of stars capable of winning it all, and both have done so in their careers. Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe make up an youthful and physical big man platoon, and the supporting pieces (Joe Harris, Royce O’Neal, Patty Mills, eventually Seth Curry) all appear to be perfect complements to the KD-Kyrie star pair.

Still, something just doesn’t fit about that twosome and its supporting cast in the Big Apple. Locker room issues seem likely to plague this group even more so with a controversial coaching figure joining a mix that still has not clicked with Ben Simmons in tow.

While Udoka seems like a perfect on-paper fit in Kings County, there’s no guarantee he’ll help turn things around for Brooklyn.

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