Jaylen Brown Vs Jayson TaTuM one and one battle Boston Celtics training camp

So as much as we can stick to the things we were great at last year, and then find areas to improve along the way, I think is the right way to go."

The overwhelming message emanating from everyone who stepped to the podium Monday, from Mazzulla to the players, was that all of them are still coming to grips with the events of the past several days. After Udoka oversaw a dramatic in-season turnaround in his first year as head coach to lead Boston from being under .500 in late January to in the NBA Finals in June, the expectation was that it was the beginning of a long run with him in charge of the franchise.

For the players, that was the case until the middle of last week, as each of them said they had no idea anything was coming before ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the team was considering suspending Udoka last Wednesday for violations of team rules. And, even after meeting with the front office and ownership last week, the players admitted they still didn't have much information over what took place. Sources previously told Wojnarowski that Udoka had an intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise's staff.

"It's a lot going on," said Jaylen Brown, who, like Tatum, said he hadn't spoken to Udoka since last week's events took place. "Some we could control, some we couldn't. The best we can say is to move on.