Ime Hires Another Assistant Coach

Adrian Wojnarowski
@wojespn
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6h
Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Ben Sullivan has agreed to a deal to join Ime Udoka’s new coaching staff with the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN. Sullivan is another in a long line of well-regarded Mike Budenholzer assistants.



Bob


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https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/ben-sullivan-hired-udoka/



Udoka Brings 2x MVP’s Shot Doctor to the Celtics: Report



By Ryan Aston
Updated Aug 6, 2021 at 3:36pm



Ime Udoka may be entrenched in USA Basketball’s quest to bring home another gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but the Boston Celtics coach continues to round out his new staff. His latest addition, per reports on Friday, has the potential to make a significant difference in the team’s shot-making ability.


According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Udoka has tapped Milwaukee Bucks assistant Ben Sullivan to join his crew in Beantown. As noted by the NBA insider, Sullivan is just the latest of a slew of Mike Budenholzer assistants to make waves with their work.


Sullivan’s presence on the staff could be a big deal for young players like Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards who have struggled at times to put the ball in the basket. Perhaps even Marcus Smart could benefit from his tutelage; Sullivan has been noted for his abilities as a shooting coach.


For his part, a certain two-time NBA MVP leaned on Sullivan to help improve his own shot.

Sullivan Worked With Antetokounmpo & Bledsoe



Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach from Oregon reflects on NBA Finals winBen Sullivan has gone from playing at Lake Oswego High School and the University of Portland, to winning an NBA championship as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez talks with Sullivan after winning game 6 of the NBA Finals. They cover winning a championship, representing the state of Oregon…2021-07-23T02:28:55Z

Before he won a title with the Bucks this summer, Sullivan was charged with helping Giannis Antetokounmpo improve his shot and overall offensive skillset. And while the “Greek Freak” still has some work left to do, he did shoot over 30% from deep over the last two seasons after hitting 25.6% of his triples in 2018-19.

“He’s a great shooting coach,” Antetokounmpo said of Sullivan, via NBA.com. “but he’s not just a shooting coach. We work on my post game. We work on my ball skills. Just becoming a better overall player.”

Although Antetokounmpo was his top priority, he also worked with other Bucks players. As relayed by The Athletic, Sullivan put his time in with former Bucks floor general Eric Bledsoe as well.

“He’s great, man,” Bledsoe said of Sullivan. “He’ll send me clips. He’ll send me stats. He tells me all the time, ‘Nobody makes every shot.’ Just come out here and shoot the ball confidently because you’ll have games where you shoot hot from three and you’ll have games where you do not make a three.”


Bob
MY NOTE:  A mark of a great player is their ability to elevate the play of their teammates and, in this NBA, the ability to recruit elite players.  Udoka has done a good job of recruiting coaches so far.


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