Ime Udoka’s sly remark on what Rockets are ‘missing’ after playoff exit

The Houston Rockets seemed poised for a comeback in their first round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, but they could;ldn’t quite get over the line. The Rockets’ offense went cold in Game 7 at home as the Warriors cruised to a 103-89 win to advance to the second round.

This Rockets team still exceeded expectations despite the disappointing exit. As one of the youngest teams in the league, Houston raced all the way to the No. 2 seed in a very competitive and deep Western Conference and pushed Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and company all the way to the brink of elimination.

Now, the Rockets have to figure out what the next step is for them to become a true title contender. After the season came to a close, head coach Ime Udoka had jokes about what the Rockets could use to take another leap next season, via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle.

“I’d say 90% free throw shooters and 50% 3-point shooters, that’s what we’re missing,” Udoka said with a smile, per Lerner.

Udoka and company fell short against one of those players as Curry moves onto the next round.

Of course, the former Boston Celtics bench boss is only kidding, but there is some truth to what he is saying. This Houston team hung its hat on the defensive end of the floor all season long, and that continued to show in the playoffs as the Warriors really struggled to score points and generate good shots on a consistent basis.

However, the Rockets faltered on the other end of the floor in their losses. Outside of Game 2, Jalen Green was unable to score efficiently or consistently and Houston just didn’t have enough shooters or shot creators on the perimeter to hurt the Golden State defense consistently.

This offseason, it’s likely that the Rockets will focus on adding a scorer, maybe even a star player to help them create shots in the half court. Houston has the young players to package into that kind of deal, so keep an eye on it in the trade market if a star becomes available at any point in the next few months.