The Boston Celtics made it official last week and named interim head coach Joe Mazzulla their new head coach. Following a tumultuous training camp and preseason, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics were able to refocus their championship hopes under Mazzulla, and the organization removed the interim tag while removing former head coach Ime Udoka in the process.
In a statement last week, the Celtics announced the contract extension with Mazzulla and added, “Mazzulla replaces Ime Udoka.”
Under head coach Joe Mazzulla, Boston is off to the best record in the NBA, seemingly not missing a beat despite the rough start to their camp. At 42-17, Boston is on pace to finish with 58 wins and nab the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA, securing home-court advantage through the NBA Finals, should they make it that far.
During NBA All-Star Media day, Jayson Tatum spoke about the unfortunate situation involving Udoka and expressed love for his former coach.
“It's been a tough situation for everybody involved,” Jayson Tatum said of former Celtics coach Ime Udoka. “It's somebody that I've talked to throughout the season periodically, just reaching out. Because whatever happened, happened, and that doesn't have anything to do with me, but I can't take away the relationship that me and him had and the impact that he had on me in that one season.”
Jayson Tatum had the best year of his career under Ime Udoka before this season, with Boston coming just two wins short of the 2022 NBA championship. Under Udoka, Tatum averaged career highs with 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point land.
Under Udoka, the Celtics became the first team to win 50 games despite being .500 through 50 games. Boston started the season 25-25 and finished the season 26-6 over the final 32 games to secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
“I love Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski], I love Brad [Stevens], I love Joe [Mazzulla], I love all those guys, but it's just a different kind of relationship I have with Ime [Udoka] and probably like my most favorite coach I've had,” Tatum explained. “And that's not a knock on anybody. I got a great relationship with Joe. I love everything he's doing, I'm extremely happy for him. Brad, kind of helped me navigate the NBA. I was 19 and he kind of watched me grow and put me in the right spots, so I have a different perspective and respect for each coach I've had. Just different times in my life.”
When asked what the conversations with Udoka had been like, Tatum kept it sweet and to the point.
“Nothing crazy, just checking in. Telling me he's been watching me and play and keep up the good work.”
The Boston Celtics are hoping to come out of the All-Star break fully healthy. They'd dealt with multiple injures to Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, and Marcus Smart, so now would appear to be the time for them to make an even stronger push for the No. 1 overall seed. The Milwaukee Bucks are hot on their tail thanks to a 12-game winning streak, moving just half a game behind the Celtics for that top seed.
Under Mazzulla, Jayson Tatum is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 30.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 46.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range.
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