Tag: Ime Udoka

Ime Udoka sees elements of Jaylen Brown, Corey Maggette in Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore

Rockets coach Ime Udoka pointed to Boston’s Jaylen Brown and former NBA player Corey Maggette as players that rookie Cam Whitmore reminds him of.

When Ime Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals, one of the best players on that team was All-Star guard Jaylen Brown. Now that Udoka is coaching the Houston Rockets, he sees one player among his 2023-24 rotation that shares some similarities.

When asked who explosive rookie scorer Cam Whitmore reminds him of, Udoka identified Brown and longtime NBA veteran Corey Maggette. Of course, Whitmore is clearly not at Brown’s level yet,

Here’s what Udoka said Thursday on “The Matt Thomas Show” via SportsTalk 790, the official flagship radio station of the Rockets:

There are a lot of similarities to someone I just had recently, Jaylen Brown. It’s funny, our whole coaching staff, a lot of us came from Boston and had coached Jaylen Brown. It’s very similar, as far as the way they play. But even how they think, and movements, and all that.

I’ll take it back a little bit to a guy I played against, Corey Maggette. He has some of that downhill physicality, and he has that at a young age, already. Similar as far as those two, but Jaylen Brown is the guy that we all see a lot of similarities with.

The complete interview segment can be listened to below.

Whitmore is averaging an impressive 12.2 points (46.3% FG, 36.5% on 3-pointers) and 3.8 rebounds in only 18.1 minutes per game this season. As the No. 20 draft pick from the 2023 first round, his role should only increase as the games and years progress.

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Ime Udoka reacts to March coaching award, advocates for Jalen Green and Amen Thompson

After a 13-2 March, Houston’s Ime Udoka won Coach of the Month. But Udoka wishes Jalen Green and Amen Thompson received top player and rookie honors, instead.

Entering April, the Houston Rockets are suddenly back in the Western Conference postseason race after an NBA-best record of 13-2 in March, including an 11-game winning streak.

Understandably, this led to the team being represented Tuesday in the NBA’s monthly awards announcements. Head coach Ime Udoka received Western Conference Coach of the Month honors and Jalen Green and Amen Thompson were among the nominees for Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month, respectively.

Green and Thompson didn’t win. The top player award went to Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and the top rookie honor to Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.

Yet, in pregame comments from Minnesota prior to Tuesday’s game, Udoka made it clear he is among their leading advocates.

When asked about his own award, Udoka said:

It means the team is playing well. Accolades are always based on team performance, and it means our guys are improving and doing what we’re supposed to. I give all the credit to those guys.

It’s an honor, obviously, and all those things shed light on the team. I like to look at the guys on the court and what they’re doing. I felt like Jalen should have gotten Player of the Month and Amen probably should have gotten Rookie of the Month, in my opinion.

They’re the guys doing it on the court and putting this streak together, making adjustments when guys are out … and increasing their level (of play). I wish they would have got it more so than me, honestly.

Both Green and Thompson flourished in the aftermath of a potentially season ending injury suffered by Alperen Sengun on March 10. Green took on a larger role as the focal point of Houston’s offense, while Thompson replaced Sengun in the starting lineup and became a force in areas related to defense and rebounding.

In 15 March games, Green averaged 27.7 points (49.2% FG, 40.8% on 3-pointers), 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and only 2.3 turnovers per game. His plus/minus figure when on the court was plus 11.3.

In 10 post-Sengun games as a starter, Thompson has averaged 15.1 points (58.1% FG), 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.2 minutes. He’s also been near the top of the list when it comes to Houston’s most valuable and versatile defenders. The Rockets rank in the top 10 of the league in defensive rating over that span.

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After 13-2 March, NBA names Houston’s Ime Udoka as Coach of the Month

After guiding his team to a 13-2 record in March, Ime Udoka is Western Conference Coach of the Month. He’s the first Houston coach with the honor since Mike D’Antoni.

The NBA announced Tuesday that Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for March. He is the seventh coach to win the award in franchise history and the first since Mike D’Antoni in February 2020.

While leading Boston in 2021-22, Udoka was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in February and for the combined months of March and April. He has a career record of 24-5 in March.

In March, Houston went 13-2 despite being without leading scorer and rebounder Alperen Sengun for the final 10 games and playing without its top bench scorer, Cam Whitmore, for nine games.

Houston won 11 straight games from March 8-29, tying for its longest streak since a 17-game span during the 2017-18 season. The Rockets have also won their past seven road games, a dramatic turnaround after winning just five of their first 29 road games this season.

The Rockets outscored opponents by an average of 9.3 points per game in March and won six consecutive games by double digits from March 14-25, tying for the third-longest streak in franchise history.  The Rockets scored at least 125 points in three straight games from March 19-23, marking their longest streak since November 1979.

Houston is 38-36 in 2023-24 after going 22-60 in 2022-23, which already represents the fifth-best improvement (by wins) from one season to the next in franchise history.  The Rockets are outscoring opponents by an average of 1.6 points per game after being outscored by a league-high 8.1 points over the past three seasons combined.

Under Udoka’s guidance, the Rockets rank 10th among all teams in scoring defense, sixth in field-goal percentage defense and second in 3-point defense. Over the past three seasons combined, Houston ranked last No. 30 (last among all NBA teams), No. 28 and No. 26 in those categories, respectively.

Houston is also allowing the fewest fast-break points this season after giving up the most over its past three seasons.

On offense, after committing the NBA’s most turnovers over the past three seasons, the Rockets are on pace to set a franchise record for the fewest turnovers (by average) in a single season.

Houston trails Golden State by 2 games for the Western Conference’s final spot in the play-in tournament for the 2024 playoffs. The Rockets host the Warriors on Thursday, April 4.

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‘That’s Luka’: As postseason path narrows, Rockets seek better blueprint to defend Doncic, Mavs

“Because of his size and passing ability, he can kind of pick apart the gym,” Ime Udoka said of defending Luka Doncic. “We want to guard one-on-one.”

HOUSTON — With 11 straight wins, the Rockets entered Sunday as the NBA’s hottest team. With that streak in mind, an opponent likely needed to have phenomenal players to beat them.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks have two: Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. That dynamic duo took turns imposing their will and displaying their incredible shooting ability, ending Houston’s win streak with a 125-107 victory inside Toyota Center.

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer who averages 34 points per game, came out on fire in the first quarter, which was probably to be expected after he hit an incredible shot off the scoreboard during warmups. His 22 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range helped the Mavericks take a 36-24 at the end of the first period.

“As our leader, he came out and set the tone offensively,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said postgame.

It didn’t matter if rookie Amen Thompson or second-year forward Jabari Smith was in front of Doncic; he hit everything he threw up, including an underhanded 21-foot shot that brought Dallas fans in attendance to their feet. Many local fans looked amazed.

“We have been lucky enough to be around him for three years,” Kidd said postgame of Doncic. “We have seen him kick the ball in. We have seen him shoot from half-court, full court, sitting in a chair. So to see him do that, I think a lot of people got excited.”

“But at the same time, we said, ‘That’s Luka.’” He is always able to make tough shots. He is Picasso. Give him the paintbrush; he’s going to do something special. That shot was pretty special.”

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving echoed his head coach regarding Doncic’s style of play and how it opens the floor for his teammates. The rest of the Dallas players shot 50% from 3-point range, while Doncic shot 56% from beyond the arc.

“When he is that efficient and aggressive, it will open up a lot of opportunities for us,” said Irving, who finished with 24 points.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka may be an art lover, but he would rather see masterpieces on canvas than from an opposing player. Udoka used a switching style on defense throughout the game, which led to Doncic scoring 47 points through three quarters.

“Because of his size and passing ability, he can kind of pick apart the gym,” Udoka said of the defensive strategy. “We want to guard one-on-one and force him into tougher shots. That was the objective.”

“But I think we were kind of back on our heels and made it a little bit too easy early,” Udoka said. “Just walk-up shots: I felt like he had 20 or more in the first quarter and didn’t really have to work for it. So, you want to take him inside of the 3-point line and make it a little bit harder. When he did, we didn’t show a lot of resistance.”

It remains to be seen whether Udoka will switch strategies when the Rockets (38-36) visit Dallas (45-29) next Sunday. With postseason hopes hanging by a thread, Houston’s margin for error is minimal.

Houston trails Golden State (40-34) by two games with eight to play for the final postseason spot in the Western Conference, and the Warriors own any tiebreaker, as well. Thus, the Rockets need to outplay Golden State by at least three games over this closing stretch, which makes the rematch in Dallas very important to Houston.

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Rookie Cam Whitmore rejoins Rockets’ rotation after knee injury

After missing nine games with a knee sprain, rookie Cam Whitmore returned to the playing rotation in Houston’s home game versus Dallas on Sunday.

After missing Houston’s previous nine games with a sprain to the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, rookie wing Cam Whitmore rejoined the Rockets’ playing rotation for Sunday’s home game versus the rival Dallas Mavericks.

Whitmore last played March 10 in Sacramento.

To test the knee, Whitmore went through strenuous workouts after Friday’s game-day shootaround in Utah and an intense, simulated game, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Once completed, Whitmore reported no pain and felt back to normal.

He will initially be limited to a maximum of about 20 minutes per game, head coach Ime Udoka said prior to Sunday’s game.

Houston (38-35) entered Sunday with 11 straight wins and a 13-1 record in March (best of any NBA team), yet they still trailed Golden State (39-34) by a game in the race for the final Western Conference postseason spot. Thus, the Rockets need all the help they can get, particularly versus a quality opponent like the Mavericks (44-29).

Drafted at No. 20 in the NBA’s 2023 first round, Whitmore has consistently provided a spark off the bench for Houston this season.

An athletic and powerful force at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, Whitmore is averaging 14.9 points (45.4% FG, 34.3% on 3-pointers) and 4.6 rebounds in just 20.1 minutes over his last 19 games played.

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Coach of the Month? Ime Udoka makes key adjustments in March for streaking Rockets

During Houston’s current 11-game winning streak, the Rockets have only been outscored twice in the second half, and both came after starters exited early.

Let’s start with the obvious: the Houston Rockets are the NBA’s hottest team by virtue of their current 11-game winning streak. Shooting guard Jalen Green could soon be accepting the Western Conference Player of the Month award for his elite play in March.

With that out of the way, let’s get to another big reason they have blazed through March with a 13-1 record. The halftime adjustments made by head coach Ime Udoka and his staff, and those could lead to Udoka winning conference Coach of the Month honors.

Throughout the month, the coaching staff meticulously took physical and mental notes throughout the first half of the miscues on both ends of the court. Those were relayed to players at halftime, and the team responded and made the necessary adjustments.

For example, on March 19, the Rockets took a 3-point lead into halftime against the Wizards at Washington’s Capital One Arena. During the intermission, Udoka sternly told the team they were not playing to their potential, and they were allowing a team missing key players due to injury to hang around.

“My message was, we are playing with the game, messing around with the game,” Udoka said in his postgame comments.

Houston responded by holding the Wizards to 57 second-half points (while scoring 77 themselves) in the 137-114 victory. Earlier this season, the Rockets might not have responded to their head coach’s message, but his words hit home at the right time.

Entering Sunday, Houston still has a realistic path to make the Western Conference play-in tournament. It trails the Golden State Warriors (39-34) by one game for the final slot.

During Houston’s 11-game winning streak, it has been outscored in the second half only twice, and both were games during which the starters were removed early. In seven blowout wins, Houston has averaged a final victory margin of 17.5 points.

On March 6, the Los Angeles Clippers outscored the Rockets after halftime, 78-59, and they won that game. Since then, Houston hasn’t lost. The team’s defense has been the key to its second-half resurgences, with the Rockets holding opponents to fewer than 50 points four times; to 25 points or less in a quarter 10 times; and 20 points or less in a quarter five times.

Udoka’s messages will need to continue resonating over the season’s final two weeks, since Houston is scheduled to face six teams vying for postseason spots in the West over its final nine games.

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March memories: Rockets finish with NBA’s best monthly record

The Rockets finished March with the NBA’s best monthly record among all teams, and it’s their first time doing so since the 2017-18 season (65 wins).

The Houston Rockets entered Sunday, March 31, with 11 consecutive victories and a 13-1 record in March, which leads the NBA.

Regardless of Sunday’s outcome at home versus Dallas, the Rockets (38-35) will finish with the league’s best monthly record. It’s their first time with that distinction since Houston’s incredible 2017-18 season, which resulted in the best record (65-17) in team history.

Thanks to that success, Houston is back in the mix for a postseason spot in the Western Conference. They were six games back when the winning streak originally started on March 8, and now they are within a game and will be multiple games above .500 entering April.

Even after losing star center Alperen Sengun to a potentially season-ending ankle injury on March 10, the Rockets haven’t skipped a beat, thanks in large part to a sustained breakout by Jalen Green.

In still images, here’s a look back at some of the defining shots from a most memorable March 2024 for the Houston Rockets.

As Jalen Green excels, Rockets coach Ime Udoka touts value of patience

“It’s not always going to happen overnight for guys,” Ime Udoka says of the Rockets and Jalen Green (34 points). “Patience is really important with our young guys.”

On the same night Jalen Green scored a game-high 34 points in Houston’s 11th straight victory, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka spoke to the value of patience with his third-year shooting guard.

In Friday’s pregame comments from Utah, where the Rockets (38-35) later improved to an NBA-best 13-1 in March, Udoka said of Green (as transcribed by Dave Hardisty of ClutchFans):

I don’t judge Jalen (Green) on the past two years or even the start of this year. It was, ‘How good is he going to get with us throughout this season?’ And now you see him hitting his stride and understanding. That’s what we’re looking at, big picture-wise. It’s not always going to happen overnight for guys. Patience is really important with our young guys. …

The aggressiveness and confidence is obviously up, and that’s due to making shots and reading defenses better. So that’s part of it, but with Alperen (Sengun) being out, the ball is in his hands more, and he’s getting more opportunity there. When you’re in that rhythm, and he’s shooting it as well and attacking as well as he is, he’s going to have the ball more.”

As the Western Conference postseason race intensifies, Green and the Rockets look to build on that momentum in Sunday’s home game versus Dallas (44-29). Tipoff is 6 p.m. Central.

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Ime Udoka rejected the idea that Alperen Sengun held Jalen Green back from stardom

Rockets coach Ime Udoka doesn’t care for the weird theory about Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun.

With the NBA postseason around the corner, there might not be a better player than the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green right now.

The former No. 2 overall pick has scored at least 26 points in 11 of his last 14 games. He’s playing easily the best basketball of his young career, which not by coincidence, has merged with a 10-game Rockets winning streak. For all intents and purposes, he’s starting to resemble a franchise superstar.

But some have suggested that Green’s rise has only occurred in the absence of Rockets center Alperen Sengun, who suffered a severe ankle sprain in early March.

In a recent episode of The Matt Thomas Show, Houston head coach Ime Udoka heartily rejected this sentiment, saying there was no “direct correlation” between Green’s resurgence and Sengun’s absence.

To piggyback on Udoka, Green already started to score the ball well before Sengun got hurt. The same plays have been made available to the guard all year. It’s more that of late, with appropriate growth, he’s started to take better advantage of his reads and the way teams are defending him. Sure, Green is probably touching the ball more without Sengun in the fold, but Sengun’s profile is more that of a facilitator than a ball-dominant scorer anyway.

In that respect, he wouldn’t detract much from Green’s more assertive play, regardless.

What should excite the Rockets and their fans is pairing this version of Green with a healthy Sengun. Heck, if all goes well with Sengun’s recovery, we might even see this duo again by the end of the regular season.

As Rockets’ streak hits 10, Jabari Smith Jr. makes up for lost time with clutch plays in OKC

“We just showed the team that,” Ime Udoka says of Jabari Smith Jr.’s clutch 3-pointer in Wednesday’s win. “Basically, it was our favorite play of the game.”

One thing that stands out about second-year Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. is that he is the ultimate team player. As long as he’s on the court and in the battle, Smith has made it clear that he is willing to do whatever it takes for Houston to be successful.

That is why his one-game suspension for getting into a minor skirmish with Utah Jazz guard Kris Dunn last Saturday impacted him, especially while his team is in a close race with the Golden State Warriors to make the Western Conference play-in tournament.

On Wednesday in Oklahoma City, Smith was eager to make up for lost time — and perhaps too eager. Smith committed two fouls in under two minutesand had to sit down, and that lack of rhythm played a role in a dismal 1-for-5 (20%) first-half shooting performance.

It was not the ideal start, but the No. 3 overall selection in the 2022 NBA draft (after one college season at Auburn) knew that he had to stay the course and be there when his team needed him.

With Houston trailing by one point with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Jalen Green moved toward the lane, drawing three defenders and leaving Smith open beyond the 3-point line in the left corner.

As Green got deeper in the lane, he made the pass to Smith. Without hesitation, Smith shot a 24-foot trey over the outstretched arms of Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey that hit nothing but net, putting the Rockets up by two points with 21.7 seconds left to play.

After the Thunder rallied to force overtime, Smith then hit another clutch 3-pointer to help Houston keep its current winning streak alive at 10 games, courtesy of the 132-126 win in Oklahoma City.

“I was seeing him [Green] going aggressive to the rim, as he had done all night,” said Smith, who finished with 16 points. “They collapsed, as they should, and they left me open in the corner, and I knocked it down. I could tell when he (Green) was driving, my man was kind of gravitating towards him because he had been cooking all night, but he made the right read and found me in the corner.”

As happy as Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was about Smith hitting the big shot late in regulation, he was more excited that Green was able to recognize the defenders rotating towards him. From there, he was able to make the right read of the Thunder defense, which had been sending multiple defenders his way all night.

“It was huge,” Udoka said when asked about Green’s decision-making. “We just showed the team that. Basically, it was our favorite play of the game. We just showed four guys in the paint, and he made the right pass. Dillon [Brooks] made two big ones [in overtime] after going 1-for- 9, and Jabari, who was struggling with the fouls early, didn’t hesitate, and Jalen didn’t hesitate to pass to him. Great pass, great growth. I’m proud of them for that play.”

Houston will look for its 11th consecutive win on Friday as it heads to Utah to play the Jazz for the second time in a week. This time, Smith will do everything he can to avoid having to leave early.

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