The Boston Celtics have been in limbo all season, teetering between small winning and losing streaks. Their new identity under head coach Ime Udoka is slowly forming and coming to light. It’s just 21 games into Udoka’s tenure and the team is 11-10, with an average offense and above-average defense. Following a 12-point win over the Toronto Raptors, guard Marcus Smart spoke on the process of learning Udoka’s system at a press conference.
“Like I said, it’s not gonna be easy and the patients that Ime has had with us and that we’ve had with one another, just shows the growth and maturity that this team has,” Smart said.
Smart compared it to going to school for four years, entering the workforce and doing a job a certain way for a number of years and then a new boss comes in and says to completely change the way you work. That process takes time and so has the Celtics’ process with Udoka’s system and coaches.
“To be able to bounce back against a good team like Toronto in their house,” Smart stated. “It just shows the type of team we are, and we’re always going to continue to fight no matter what.
Smart led the way with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win. Forward Jayson Tatum had a near-triple double with 10 assists, eight points and seven rebounds.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
