From the myth of Icarus to countless modern stories, we see a recurring scheme: how humanity is brought back to earth, often by our own pride. In the chopped and screwed streets of Houston, Ime Udoka rewrites his own myth, defying the curse of Icarus. After A fall in manufacturing titles in BostonHe is back recharged and ruthless, orchestrating a return with the Houston Rockets who led him at the head of the NBA year coach.
During his first year in charge of the Boston Celtics, Udoka led the team to the NBA 2022 final – an extraordinary achievement for a recruit head coach. But after this final appearance, He was suspended and finally released After the accusations of an inappropriate relationship with a woman member of the Celtic staff. However, unlike Icarus, it has increased. During his second season with the Houston Rockets, he rebuilt his career after what many consider an important moral failure. After three losing seasons, the Rockets are fourth in the Western Conference and seemed to go to the playoffs.
Despite the controversy surrounding his departure from the Celtics, Udoka was hired by the Rockets in April 2023. This decision raised the eyebrows through the league, many wondering if a coach was linked to allegations of ethical failure deserved another Lucky luck so quickly. But problems outside the Udoka field were not a problem in Houston. His attention seemed to be only in the team. Given the reports on the reasons for which he left the Celtics, it should be noted that Audoka was hired to instill leadership and responsibility in a team that had affected the substance.
Udoka inherited a talented youth group from Swashbuckling – lottery and first round, overflowing with talent but lacking in cohesion. Fortunately, this situation plays one of the forces of Udoka. In Boston, he created a hierarchy that the team had long fought to define, centering Jayson Tatum as the first option. Jaylen Brown slipped into role 2, where he prospered, while all the other players accepted that the defense game was a prerequisite for staying in rotation.
Before Udoka’s arrival in Houston, the Turkish enigma Alperen şengün was considered a “Jokić baby”, a large sweet man opposed to the defense with a huge capacity for passage and notation. Udoka has started Sangun to La Défense, evolving it not only in a first option, but a game center that ensures that everyone around him also eats. The 22 -year -old has made his first star match this season, while making an average of 19.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists. During the first two Sengun seasons, his more less defensive box was 0.6 and 0.4. Under Udoka, he posted 1.7 and 2.0. His defensive victory actions are also up, from 1.3 and 1.8 to 3.1 and 2.7.
Like even Udoka admit, it is not perfect. He is not a strong game player, especially out of dead times and at the end of the games. He had a hard time finding a constant role for the young Cam Whitmore phenomenon. And Udoka’s craze for ranges of small balls has raised more than a few eyebrows, especially given the frequency to which they were responsible. These “completely switches” ranges, those without the two traditional centers şengün and Steven Adams, have prepared. Nor is it a unique thing; The data support him. Since December 1, these ranges of No-şengün / No-Adams have been hemorrhages up to -13.0 for 100 possessions.
Meanwhile, alignments with Adams on the ground are OK, publishing a +3.8 for 100 possessions, and even Sangun, despite some difficulties, is always a better bet at -12.7 than these tiny alignments. You can point a number of games where a quarter of implosion, with a ton of abandoned points, is directly in correlation with Udoka in small, like the abandonment 46 points in a single district, where the range “fully switched” Touted 1.8 points per point by possession in just six minutes. It doesn’t work. His reluctance to put the ball in the hands of şENGün in times of crisis. Although there is a defense hierarchy, the offensive side evolves. Although this has led to end of game losses, it is generally a work in progress, which must occur for a team to become a competitor.
Udoka’s work to transform the defense of the Rockets into a competitor is not over. Despite a respectable record of 8-7 in their last 15 games, the Rockets remain among the worst league concerning the movement of the ball – raising questions on the moment when Udoka will focus on a more fluid offense. The numbers paint an austere image: the rockets rank dead as a percentage of assistance (30th), near the ratio of the bottom in the assistance (29th), of the passes made (29th), of the assistance / filming ratio (28th ), potential assistance (27th) and points created on aid (26th). Although their talent and defense have maintained them competitive, their stagnant offense suggests an urgent need for a change towards greater creation of games and altruism. The team continues to fight with the movement of the ball, a persistent problem reflected in their drop in potential decisive passes during the season. After having a peak briefly on November 17, they hovered near the bottom of the league, ranking 24th on February 25 on January 26, and October 28.
But what cannot be refused is that the rockets have an identity. One is based on discipline, effort, respect and defensive commitment. Udoka is undoubtedly a leader of men. The biggest problem out of course was the inactive gossip around Jalen Green’s relationship with Draya Michele, a 17 -year -old woman her senior. None of the demons that haunted Udoka in Boston seemed to be a problem in Houston, a city that has a lot of questionable distractions if someone wants to find them.
The Rockets are young and the recent NBA champions were anchored by half-Finish stars of the 20s, from Tatum and Brown to Boston in Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray (26) in Denver. Meanwhile, şengün, Green and Amen Thompson are all 22 years old. This team is still in the first stadiums – talented but not yet built for a race in deep playoffs. To make the Rockets jump to the real competitor status, they must refine their half-terrain offense and drop more than three. Currently, they rank to death in goals on the ground and sit near the two attempts of three points (28th) and points beyond the arc (25th), S ‘ Pressing the fast score too much (third in the league). Their ceiling remains limited until they develop a more fluid and effective offense in the half and stretches the defenses with a coherent perimeter shot. Seeing what Udoka has already done for Houston, the way to follow is clear and achievable.
All the parts are there. And as he showed in Boston, Udoka draws the best party from his players – young and gray. Most importantly, Houston, one of the best basketball cities in the world, Phi Slama Jama, DJ Screw, The Geto Boys, Frenchy’s, Beyoncé and two NBA championships with Hakeem Olajuwon, recovered his groove. The next time you are in Houston, go out that evening and you can hear the horns and voices of the Houston song choir, the hymn of UGK players: “Don’t be lame, you know the Game and how it goes, we try to choose! “”
