As an undrafted rookie out of Northwest Missouri State, Trevor Hudgins bounced back and forth between the Houston Rockets and their NBA G League affiliate — the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers — while on a two-way contract during the 2022-23 season.
In a new podcast interview with Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Hudgins said he appreciated the guidance of former head coach Stephen Silas as he acclimated to life as a professional player.
But he’s also adjusting quickly to Ime Udoka, who replaced Silas. Here’s what Hudgins told Iko after working with Udoka and his new assistant coaches during unofficial practices in recent days:
I like coach Udoka, too. He brings a fire and energy, almost like a chip-on-his-shoulder type energy, to the whole organization.
He was probably one of the top hires for a lot of teams. Everyone saw what he did for the Celtics. They’re a playoff, championship-level team.
He comes to the Rockets, and people know we were struggling. We’re a young group, and we need some leadership and veterans. People see everything from the outside, but he comes in and he has that fire. He’s helping us a lot to grow, both individually and as a team. I feel like he’s very good for us.
Even the assistants he brought from Boston, they’re excited and ready to go. They bring that energy. Energy is contagious, and I feel like they bring that every single day. It gets us more excited to get better, and play ball with each other. I’m very excited for this year.
The complete episode can be listened to below via The IkoSystem with Kelly Iko. As for Hudgins, who averaged 20 points (37.8% on 3-pointers), 6.1 assists, 1.7 turnovers and 38.7 minutes per game with the Vipers. He becomes a free agent in July.
It remains to be seen whether the 24-year-old guard fits in Udoka’s plans for the Rockets for the 2023-24 season.
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