From the parable of Icarus to numerous trendy narratives, we see a recurring sample: how humanity is introduced again right down to earth, typically by our personal hubris. Down within the chopped-and-screwed streets of Houston, Ime Udoka is rewriting his personal fable, defying the Icarus curse. After a headline-making fall in Boston, he’s again recharged and ruthless, orchestrating a comeback with the Houston Rockets that has him main the pack for the NBA’s coach of the 12 months.
In his first 12 months accountable for the Boston Celtics, Udoka led the staff to the 2022 NBA finals – a rare achievement for a rookie head coach. However after that finals look, he was suspended and finally let go after accusations of an improper relationship with a feminine Celtics employees member. Nonetheless, not like Icarus, he has risen anew. In his second season with the Houston Rockets, he’s rebuilding his profession after what many see as important ethical failure. After three shedding seasons, the Rockets are fourth within the Western Convention and appeared to be headed for the postseason.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding his departure from the Celtics, Udoka was employed by the Rockets in April 2023. This determination raised eyebrows throughout the league, with many questioning whether or not a coach tied up in allegations of moral failure deserved one other likelihood so rapidly. However Udoka’s off-the-court points haven’t been a difficulty in Houston. His consideration has appeared to be solely on the staff. Contemplating the experiences of why he left the Celtics, it’s notable that Udoka was employed to instill management and accountability in a staff that had hit all-time low.
Udoka inherited a proficient group of swashbuckling kids – lottery and first-round picks brimming with expertise however missing cohesion. Thankfully, that state of affairs performs to certainly one of Udoka’s strengths. In Boston, he established a hierarchy the staff had lengthy struggled to outline, centering Jayson Tatum as the primary possibility. Jaylen Brown slotted into the No 2 position, the place he thrived, whereas each different participant accepted that taking part in protection was a prerequisite for staying within the rotation.
Earlier than Udoka’s arrival in Houston, Turkish enigma Alperen Şengün was thought-about a “child Jokić”, a delicate, defense-averse huge man with super passing and scoring capability. Udoka dedicated Sengun to protection, evolving him into not only a first possibility however a playmaking hub who makes certain everybody round him eats, too. The 22-year-old made his first All-Star Recreation this season, whereas averaging 19.0 factors, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. In Sengun’s first two seasons, his Defensive Field Plus Minus was 0.6 and 0.4. Beneath Udoka, he has posted 1.7 and a couple of.0. His Defensive Win Shares are additionally up, from 1.3 and 1.8 to three.1 and a couple of.7.
As even Udoka would admit, he’s not good. He’s not a robust play-caller, particularly out of timeouts and on the finish of video games. He has struggled to discover a constant position for younger phenom Cam Whitmore. And Udoka’s infatuation with small-ball lineups has raised quite a lot of eyebrows, particularly given how typically they’ve been a legal responsibility. These “absolutely switchable” lineups, ones with out each conventional facilities Şengün and Steven Adams, have gotten cooked. It’s not a one-off factor both; the information backs it up. Since 1 December, these no-Şengün/no-Adams lineups have been hemorrhaging factors to the tune of -13.0 per 100 possessions.
In the meantime, lineups with Adams on the ground do OK, posting a +3.8 per 100 possessions, and even Sengun, regardless of some struggles, continues to be a greater guess at -12.7 than these tiny lineups. You possibly can level to any variety of video games the place 1 / 4 implosion, with a ton of factors given up, instantly correlates with Udoka going small, like giving up 46 factors in a single quarter, the place the “absolutely switchable” lineup coughed up 1.8 factors per possession in simply six minutes. It isn’t working. Neither does his reluctance to place the ball in Şengün’s fingers in crunch time. Whereas there’s a hierarchy on protection, the offensive aspect is evolving. Whereas it has led to late-game losses, it’s usually a piece in progress, one which has to occur for a staff to turn out to be a contender.
Udoka’s job of turning the Rockets’ protection right into a contender isn’t executed. Regardless of a decent 8-7 report over their final 15 video games, the Rockets stay among the many league’s worst relating to ball motion – elevating questions on when Udoka will emphasize a extra fluid offense. The numbers paint a stark image: the Rockets rank lifeless final in help share (thirtieth), close to the underside in help ratio (twenty ninth), passes made (twenty ninth), assist-to-turnover ratio (twenty eighth), potential assists (twenty seventh), and factors created off assists (twenty sixth). Whereas their expertise and protection have saved them aggressive, their stagnant offense suggests a urgent want for a shift towards better playmaking and unselfishness. The staff continues to battle with ball motion, a persistent situation mirrored of their declining potential assists rating over the season. After briefly peaking at seventeenth in November, they’ve hovered close to the underside of the league, rating twenty fourth in February, twenty fifth in January, twenty sixth in December, and twenty eighth in October.
However what can’t be denied is the Rockets have an identification. One constructed on self-discipline, effort, respect, and defensive dedication. Udoka is, indubitably, a frontrunner of males. The most important off-the-court situation has been idle gossip round Jalen Inexperienced’s relationship with Draya Michele, a girl 17 years his senior. Not one of the demons that haunted Udoka in Boston appeared to be a difficulty in Houston, a metropolis that has loads of doubtful distractions if somebody desires to seek out them.
The Rockets are younger, and up to date NBA champions have been anchored by stars of their mid-to-late 20s, from Tatum and Brown in Boston to Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray (26) in Denver. In the meantime, Şengün, Inexperienced and Amen Thompson are all 22. This staff continues to be within the early levels – proficient however not but constructed for a deep playoff run. For the Rockets to leap to true contender standing, they should sharpen their half-court offense and knock down extra threes. Proper now, they rank lifeless final in assisted subject targets and sit close to the underside in each three-point makes an attempt (twenty eighth) and factors from past the arc (twenty fifth), relying an excessive amount of on fast-break scoring (third within the league). Their ceiling stays restricted till they develop a extra fluid, environment friendly offense within the half-court and stretch defenses with constant perimeter capturing. Seeing what Udoka has already executed for Houston, the trail ahead is obvious and attainable.
All of the items are there. And as he confirmed in Boston, Udoka will get the perfect out of his gamers – younger and grizzled alike. Most significantly, Houston, probably the greatest basketball cities on the earth, the house of Phi Slama Jama, DJ Screw, the Geto Boys, Frenchy’s, Beyoncé and two NBA championships with Hakeem Olajuwon, has received its groove again. Subsequent time you’re in Houston, step out within the night and you’ll hear the horns and choir vocals of Houston’s tune, UGK’s Int’l Gamers Anthem: “Don’t be a lame, you already know the sport and the way it goes, we tryin’ to get selected!”
