Coach Pop on Tatum’s development. He was also asked about the Udoka hiring.
The last time Gregg Popovich had Jayson Tatum in his USA basketball rotation, the Celtics forward sprained his left ankle on the last play of an overtime win over Turkey and missed the last six games of competition in the 2019 World Cup.
“We were hugely disappointed when he got hurt, let me put it that way,” the U.S. men’s Olympic coach said during a Tuesday Zoom conference. “He was going to be our go-to-guy, and he was just finding his legs so-to-speak “
He is, in the San Antonio coach’s estimation, a far different player from the one he first coached.
“Not totally confident, not realizing maybe how good he could really be at both ends of the floor,” Popovich said of the Tatum of two years ago. “Probably a concentration on offense, like most NBA players when they come in. During that time to now, under Brad’s tutelage, he’s become more of a two-way player, he’s way more confident, he’s developed more skills. On top of that he’s more aggressive and knows he can dominate people. So he’s much different coming into this situation than before.
On Udoka:
“I couldn’t be more thrilled. The guy is a stalwart,” said Popovich. “People over-emphasize O’s and X’s in the league. Everyone knows their O’s and X’s. It’s basketball, it’s not analytical geometry or something like that. That stuff’s not tough.
“But to understand how to get the most out of people, and how to develop relationships with players, to make people accountable, to make them really want to play for you are the keys. He’s got all that,” he said. “He’s really a gifted communicator, although less is more. He’s not a talker, he’s a communicator, and more than anything he’s genuine. You know exactly what you’re getting, and I’m sure that’s what Brad Stevens felt when he interviewed him for the first time.” -Boston Herald