“People forget we was 23-24”: Jayson Tatum lauds Ime Udoka’s man management upon arrival
Jayson Tatum and Ime Udoka spent one season together in the Boston Celtics, reaching the NBA Finals in 2022. Udoka left in the summer of 2022 after violating the internal rules, following his affair with a female staff member. The Celtics replaced him with assistant coach Joe Mazzulla, who led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
Opening up about his relationship with Ime Udoka, Tatum had nothing but high praise for his former coach.
"I have got so much love and respect for Ime. Coming into that season, people forget we was 23 and 24, like we was 11th seed. We finished the season like 26 and 3. We went on a crazy run. But, I think, his approach to the game, to us, that mentality," Jayson Tatum told Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner during his appearance on the Point Forward, via Clutchpoints.
"We watched film, and he would pause it, and it would be a time I was guarding Bron, and I let him get past me, he would pause it, and he would get you are not friends, you are not homies, like you get to trying to where he at.
"You know, that mentality, he said we are no track team. We not running from nobody. We gotta play the Nets. We gotta play them. For that message to come from the top, to come from the coach, I think it ran through everybody, and we were on that."
After a year off, Ime Udoka returned to the league this summer and took over the Houston Rockets, looking to take them back to the playoffs. Houston is eighth in the West with 10 wins and nine losses.
Jayson Tatum says he has to do more to win championship with the Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum opened up about the 2022 NBA Finals run with the Boston Celtics and the loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The All-Star forward had high praise for the Warriors' winning mentality and admitted that he has to do more to lead the Celtics to the championship.
"For them to do that four times … there’s a reason — it’s not luck — there’s a reason why (Golden State won), and it makes you go back to the drawing board.
"I’m not doing enough. I did enough to get there, but it’s clearly some more you’ve got to do to get over that hump," Tatum said during his appearance on the Celtics Lab Podcast, via Celtics Wire.
Jayson Tatum is averaging 27.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 4.2 apg for the Celtics, who lead the way in the East with a 16-5 record.