Since replacing Stephen Silas as coach of the Houston Rockets, Ime Udoka spent the previous six months preaching his desire to break bad habits that led to the franchise winning 59 games since the 2020-21 season.
The Rockets appeared to have made significant improvements during training camp — individually and as a unit. But Wednesday night, the Rockets reverted back to their old habits. The beginning of a new era began with the Rockets falling 116-86 to the Orlando Magic inside the Amway Center.
Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun, and Fred VanVleet scored a team-high 14 points, respectively. Sengun began the night shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field for 13 points. He also added eight rebounds and six assists in the loss.
"This was the worst game we played collectively and individually," Udoka said. "They were the tougher team and got every 50-50 ball. They finished with seven plus shots, but there were up 15 or so for most of the game. I did not expect for us to wilt."
Turnovers should have been the top objective for Udoka when it came to helping the Rockets break old habits. Houston finished the 2022-23 season with the league's second-most turnovers, averaging 16.2. Against the Magic, the Rockets surpassed their season average by committing 19 turnovers, 11 came within the first half.
Rebounding may have been the only habit the Rockets broke from the previous season. But despite its 22-60 record, Houston was one of the top rebounding teams in the league. The Rockets averaged 46.3 last season. But Houston began the second phase of their rebuilding project, getting outrebounded 57-31.
Opening night was a flop for the Rockets. Now, it's back to the drawing board for Udoka and his team.
"I just feel like we did not have that bounce and step that we needed," Fred VanVleet said. "This is something we have to look at and see what we can do better. But this is the NBA. It's not always going to be pretty. But we have to find ways to get better."
No excuses for lackluster performance: By dropping their fifth consecutive season-opening loss, there are several excuses the Rockets could have made. Udoka's 10-man rotation during the first three quarters featured six offseason acquisitions. At times, the unfamiliarity with each other appeared to have come into play.
But instead of using their inexperience, the Rockets took ownership of their subpar play in Orlando.
"I just say, effort or toughness," Udoka said. "It was a lot, like I said, they were just moving us out of the way to get offensive rebounds early. It kind of set the tone early with that. And then they were aggressive on defense, putting us on our heels there. It was more so what they had to do than our communication."
One of Udoka's primary rotational players was Amen Thompson, who made his official NBA debut. There were moments where it appeared the game was moving too fast, which led to Thompson seeming jittery.
But the nervousness Udoka saw in Thompson was the same with each player who played significant minutes.
"There were a few guys I felt like that — it wasn't just the first-time guy," Udoka said. "They were knocking balls out. They were being aggressive, and some of our veterans as well. Amen, it was his first game. But I don't think Jabari [Smith] and Jalen [Green] and our other guys played their best either."
A disappointing start to year 3 for Jalen Green: Jalen Green said he wasn't aggressive with his shots, and his lack of assertiveness led to a horrific performance to start his third season. He finished the game with 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Green said he felt "kind of" good about his shot attempts. But overall, he credited his performance to the low energy of the team.
"I don't know what happened, but all I know is that they came out with more energy," Green said. "They were more ready to play than us. We did not match their energy from the start...But it is only our first game. We have 81 more to go."
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