Ime Udoka Continues to Mold the Houston Rockets Into His Ideal Team

The Houston Rockets have been on the rise the last two seasons after three years straight of winning 22 games or fewer. The Rockets went into full rebuild mode after the trade of franchise player James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets after the former MVP stated, "The situation can't be fixed."

The Rockets realized after the 2022-23 season ended that they needed to make a change and go from player development as the main focus to becoming a more competitive team. The first and most important move the Rockets made was hiring former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka to lead the team out of the rebuilding stage.

Udoka, a former NBA player who played for seven seasons in the NBA, was precisely the type of coach the Rockets needed to guide their young team. Udoka was known as a tough, hard-nosed player in his playing career, and he brought that same style into his coaching career. The Rockets were known as a team that could be outplayed by playing up in their face and being the tougher team, but that all changed with the arrival of Udoka.

Udoka and Rockets general manager Rafael Stone immediately brought in like-minded players during free agency as the Rockets signed Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet. The changes to the coaching staff and on the court paid off as the Rockets improved by a league-best 19 games in 2023-24. Over the last two seasons, Udoka has continued to build out the roster to match his own style of play during his playing career and his style as a coach.

Stone mentioned during the Rockets' end-of-season press conference that the organization likes to bring in players who match the mentality of owner Tilman Fertitta, Udoka and himself, which is gritty and tough-minded. That continues to be the case this offseason as the Rockets have brought in a couple of defensive-minded wing players.

When the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant, they had to include Dillon Brooks along with Jalen Green. Almost immediately after that trade, word got out that the team was making it a priority to replace what Brooks brought at the small forward position. The Rockets didn't waste any time making that happen. As soon as the free agency period began, the Rockets signed three-and-D forward Dorrian Finney-Smith as Brooks' replacement.

Adding to the wing depth didn't stop there as the Rockets recently signed former Phoenix Sun and Charlotte Hornet Josh Okogie to add yet another defensive-minded wing to the roster. That signing, along with the Rockets bringing back Jae'Sean Tate for another season, means the Rockets now have five wing players on the team. The signing surprised some, as they expected the Rockets to add a guard, as they currently only have three on the roster.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, though, because Udoka himself was known as a three-and-D player during his seven-year career. At 6-foot-6, Udoka played most of his career at the small forward position and made his name on the defensive end of the court. The Rockets now have several players who play similarly to how he did almost two decades ago for teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and primarily the San Antonio Spurs.

The Rockets, for the first time since the 2017-18 season, have several wings who are not only good defenders but can also play at an elite level at times. Even though the Rockets are thin in the backcourt, Udoka's mindset has always been that defense is the most essential part of the game, and that is why he has continued to build the Rockets in his image.