Ime Udoka has been the best offseason addition in the NBA

Ime Udoka has transformed the Rockets from a laughing stock to a team on the rise.

Three numbers: 17,21.22.

That is what Ime Udoka wrote on the board in one of his first interactions with his new team during training camp. That was the Houston Rockets previous three seasons’ win totals. Udoka wrote those numbers to remind everyone about how bad the team had been. It let everyone from the new additions like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to holdovers like Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith know that everyone should expect and want better this season.

The third number in the above sequence was the straw that broke the camel’s back in Stephan Silas’s head coaching career. The Rockets fired Silas immediately after the 2022-23 season concluded.

The Rockets started the search soon after the firing and brought in several candidates, including Nick Nurse, Jeff VanGundy, Frank Vogel, and several others. One potential hire, Ime Udoka, seemed destined for the Toronto Raptors, who had just parted ways with Nurse at the end of the season.

Rafael Stone spoke to the media during the search and explained what he wanted from the next head coach.

The Rockets front office knew they couldn’t make any more mistakes regarding the next coaching hire and had to move quickly. The Rockets did precisely that. Even with interviews still lined up, they swooped in and surprised many by hiring Ime Udoka.

It wasn’t a surprise because Udoka wasn’t qualified. It was surprising because many people had Udoka linked to the Raptors or possibly waiting for another team head coaching job. During his initial press conference, Coach Udoka spoke about changing the narrative around the Rockets and entering phase two of the team rebuild.

The start of phase two

The Rockets went into training camp with a renewed focus and a clear message from Tillman Fertitta that developing players wasn’t enough anymore, and it was time to start winning games.

It didn’t start great, as the Rockets lost their first three games in a row, and many were starting to wonder if it would just be a replay of the previous three seasons. Coach Udoka felt the Rockets were on the right path and could turn it around.

Rockets did precisely that as they went on a six-game winning streak following the three losses in a row. Coach Udoka’s emphasis on defense and accountability was at the forefront of the Rockets’ early success. The Rockets started the season as one of the surprise teams in the NBA. They would eventually start the first 22 games 13-9 after a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

From there, a combination of injuries and a tougher schedule saw the Rockets’ record slowly fall back under .500 after a loss to the 76ers on January 15, and the erratic play lasted for the next two months as the Rocktets didn’t win consecutive games for almost that entore stretch. Coach Udoka all season, however, did not change. He stuck to the notion that the Rockets were heading in the right direction but just needed more consistency. Even with the excellent play of Alperen Sengun, the Rockets were a mediocre team at best from January 1 to the beginning of March.

The reconstruction of Jalen Green

One reason for that was the inconsistent play of Jalen Green, who suffered through the previous two seasons of bad basketball in Houston. Coach Udoka, however, spoke about Green’s talent from day one and knew with the right guidance and discipline, Green could turn into a top 25 player. Well, that belief has definitely paid off.

The Rockets are on a 10 game winning streak and have made up six games on the Golden State Warriors despite the injury to Sengun, and the main reason why is Jalen Green. Green has been if not the best player in the league for the month of March, definitely top five. A lot of that credit of course goes to Green, but it is also due to Coach Udoka’s constant pressure to be better and do better. Coach Udoka says a lot in his press conferences that he holds players responsible, and if you don’t hold up your end of the bargain, you don’t play.

Coach Udoka recently told me how proud he was of Green fighting through adversity.

This has been the focus all season. Its not just Jalen Green who has thrived, it has been all of the Rockets’ young core. Amen Thompson has turned into one of the best rookies in the league. Cam Whitmore before the injury was catching the eye of everyone in the NBA. Jabari Smith, even while struggling at times with his shot, has shown improved defense and especially improvement on the boards. Of course, Alperen Sengun has been a standout all season and was even being considered for the All Star Game.

Conclusion

The Rockets went from one of the worst defensive teams in the league the previous three seasons to a top 10 defense under Udoka. They have cut down on their turnovers, limited the opposing teams fast break points and are one of the top teams in the league when it comes to opponents three-point shooting.

Yes, Jalen Green has been great the last month, Sengun had been great all season, and the veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks have been the much-needed veteran leadership the Rockets were missing. All of that is true, but it ultimately started with the hiring of Ime Udoka and his vision has started to take shape during this 10 game winning streak. The Rockets may shock the world and make the playoffs or come up just short, but either way, the addition of Ime Udoka has been the best off season addition in the entire NBA.