Jayson Tatum reveals his message to Celtics after Ime Udoka exit
Following Ime Udoka’s recent departure, Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum shared his message with the group.
The Boston Celtics were in total chaos right before the start of the 2022–2023 NBA season. Boston was looking for a new head coach after Ime Udoka, the coach who guided the C’s to their first participation in the Finals in more than ten years, was suspended.
However, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics worked to unify the locker room ahead of the upcoming season rather than worrying. On “Cold as Balls,” a humorous YouTube show hosted by Kevin Hart, Tatum discussed the advice he gave his colleagues following Udoka’s unfortunate exit.
We have to decide whether to split up or allow this to bring us together, he said, recalling the conversation with the team. And I believe that we recently made the conscious decision that doing this would make us stronger and better.
The Celtics hired Joe Mazzulla, a first-time head coach, after this discussion. The Green Team finished the regular season with a record of 57-25 before falling to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games. Although it wasn’t the intended outcome, Udoka’s departure didn’t cause the season to fail.
The C’s will have some continuity going into the 2023–24 season with Mazzulla in charge and Tatum and fellow star Jaylen Brown continuing in charge of the offense. Marcus Smart, a seasoned guard, was dealt to Memphis and is no longer the heart and soul of the Celtics, but Tatum has plenty of room to reclaim his role as a leader. He did so when Udoka was on leave, so maybe he can pick up where he left off and continue to be the outspoken leader Boston needs both on and off the court.
