Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Celtics HC Ime Udoka already running tight ship ahead of NBA season

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 10/18/21

The NBA season hasn't quite gotten underway yet, but Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is already running a tight ship.

The first-year coach showed yet again that he won't be taking any guff when he benched forward Grant Williams in Friday's preseason loss to the Miami Heat. Williams spent several seconds complaining to the refs for being called for a moving screen, so Udoka sidelined him.

Williams had already committed four fouls, so some time on the sidelines was warranted. But Udoka made it clear in his postgame comments that it was Williams' decision to cry to the officials that got him benched.

"You can’t get caught up in that," Udoka said after the 122-100 preseason loss, via Mass Live. "You have to play through it just like they did. They played with pace. When we cried about calls, they were running out and got too many easy looks. So something like I said we talked about early in camp. It’s something I’m going to keep hammering away on until we get where we want to be."

Ime Udoka benched Grant Williams for complaining to officials and not getting back on defense during #Celtics #Heat. He explained the decision post-game: pic.twitter.com/V79F3wZ3gQ
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) October 16, 2021

This is just the latest example of Udoka showing he isn't messing around when it comes to changing the Celtics' overall culture and mentality. Last week, veteran guard Marcus Smart was suspended for Friday's game against Miami because he missed the team's flight to Florida.

“Marcus broke a team rule,” Udoka told Mass Live last week. "Marcus is one of our leaders and we expect a certain standard of him and he knows that. He’s remorseful."

Since being hired back in June, the former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach has been forthright about running a tighter ship than former coach Brad Stevens, both on and off the court.

"Me in general, coaching-wise, I’m very big on unselfishness, the team aspect, whether it’s offense or defense," Udoka told The Athletic back in June. "And that’s what I’ve been preaching to the guys from Day 1 is start to become a better team overall, and that goes for both sides of the ball."

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