Ime Udoka Sheds Light on Celtics Approach to Roster Building This Offseason

Having seen it firsthand in San Antonio, Ime Udoka knows what the Celtics are building makes for an enticing pitch to players around the league, including the best in the game.

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In pursuit of banner 18 and sustained success at the highest level, the Celtics must decide whether it's best to be bold.

Should they reshape their core by adding a player like three-time All-Star and former All-NBA member Bradley Beal or trust that their most likely path to a championship is building around the group that led them to the NBA Finals this season?

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Friday marked the latest instance of someone within the organization suggesting the franchise is committed to the latter.

Head coach Ime Udoka, who says internal growth will be the most significant part of the Celtics improvement, also addressed what he believes Boston's needs are this offseason.

"For us, consistency across the board, continuing to play the way we have, defensive mindset, but also sharing the basketball, and anything we can add position-wise to help us with that will be beneficial. For us, consistent scoring off the bench is a huge key. You'd like to look at certain positions, and I think we have a lot of things covered but can always have additions with the trade exceptions we have, so we'll take a look at a certain amount of names that are available, possibly, and see if we can fit anything in numbers wise. But there are some things to address, and I think a thing that stood out a little bit in the Finals was our bench scoring. Kind of solidifying that with a veteran off the bench.

"We had some young guys we really relied on; Payton (Pritchard), Derrick (White), Grant (Williams), and those guys grew tremendously throughout the year, and we need to see more of that. But certain positions and roles need to be touched on, and we have a good amount of names that we're looking at, and hopefully some of those things work out for us."

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Udoka also expressed his appreciation for the support provided by Wyc Grousbeck, Stephen Pagliuca, and Celtics' ownership as a collective as the organization works in lockstep to push the franchise towards its ultimate goal.

"They've been great from day one. I got to know them obviously through the interview process, and that was something that stood out was they're all about the same things, and we all have alignment from top to bottom with what we're trying to do here in this organization. Pags and Wyc, and the rest of the group have been extremely helpful this year and supportive. We took our lumps early, but they were always on board with what we were trying to do and the foundation we were trying to lay and what we were playing for."

Udoka later stated: "We understand what we're playing for here. I talked about the expectations, and they haven't wavered from that at all, only been more supportive with what we did this year."

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Having seen it firsthand with the role Kawhi Leonard's ascent played in LaMarcus Aldridge joining the Spurs as a high-profile free agent, Udoka also recognizes what the Celtics accomplished this season makes for an attractive recruiting pitch, including to the league's best players.

"Great players attract others. Guys talk to each other throughout the season (and) definitely in the offseason. Being on that stage and watching the growth of our young guys, I think that's appealing to other players. When you've got a guy like Jayson (Tatum), Jaylen (Brown), these guys that have a bright future, and you start to look at longevity and consistency across the board, I think that's appealing to other guys.

"A few things we try to do is obviously put the product on the floor that's appealing to guys and play as a team, and myself as a coach, having relationships around the league, I think that's a benefit as well. Anytime you see guys on that stage, and they're doing what they're doing at that young age, it starts to look like that for other guys."

Further Reading

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Celtics Stand Pat, Select Alabama's JD Davison with 53rd Pick

Celtics Reportedly Interested in Acquiring Nicolas Batum

Latest Intel on Celtics' Summer League Roster, Including a Notable Absence

Exploring Who the Celtics Might Pursue with their $17.1 Million Trade Exception

As Celtics Strive for Banner 18, Brad Stevens Seeks Players Who Will Build Off Foundation Laid Last Year

Celtics Rightfully Hold Their Heads High but Know There's Much Work Needed in Pursuit of Banner 18