Ime Udoka is just the third head coach for the Boston Celtics since 2004, as the team has been fortunate to have stability with nine years of Doc Rivers followed by eight seasons of Brad Stevens.
How will Udoka differ from the coach who directly preceded him and is now the Celtics' president of basketball operations?
On the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast, Chris Forsberg sits down with Stevens to discuss many items, including his new role, but also some of the differences to expect between him and Udoka.
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Celtics Talk Podcast: Stevens, Smart look ahead to new season, and back to Tom Brady's recruiting trip | Listen & subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"When you're in coaching, you've gotta be yourself," Stevens said. "All of the great qualities that he has, he will soar with.
"From the standpoint of how he'll be different? I just hope he's better."
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Stevens acknowledged the Celtics had some good teams under his watch, including squads that made a run to three Eastern Conference Finals from 2017-20, but ultimately wants to go to a different level.
Later in the episode, the longest-tenured Celtics, Marcus Smart joins Forsberg to discuss how he can help Boston's franchise pillars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, in the upcoming season.
Forsberg: Celtics reflect on Brady's role in famous KD recruiting trip
"I see things a little bit differently than everybody else," Smart said, adding that he'll be "helping them see what I see at certain moments of the game, just like they're gonna help me see what they see in certain moments of the game."
Smart, drafted sixth overall by the Celtics in 2014, signed an extension with the team this summer that will keep him in Boston through the 2025-26 season.
Also discussed in this episode: With Tom Brady back in town this weekend with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's a perfect time to revisit his role in the ill-fated recruitment of Kevin Durant as a free agent in the summer of 2016.
Check out the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast on your favorite podcast app or watch it on YouTube below.