Rockets Kevin Durant Explains Ime Udoka's Unique Defensive Strategy

It's well known that the Houston Rockets' strength is defense. It's not necessarily a new development either.

We saw the James Harden-led Rockets reach the Western Conference Finals by deploying Jeff Bzdelik's switch-everything defensive scheme, which is easy to do when you have defensive wings like Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker, and Luc Mbah a Moute, not to mention other stellar defenders like Chris Paul and Clint Capela. 

Harden even ascended to become one of the league's better post defenders at the time.

We can even go further back to the Shane Battier era, as he played stifling and suffocating defense, especially on Kobe Bryant, making the NBA legend take the most uncontested shots.

The current Rockets are no different, as Rockets coach Ime Udoka is one of the league's better defensive minds. New Rockets forward Kevin Durant joined LeBron James and Steve Nash on Mind the Game and elaborated on Udoka's unique and unusual defensive strategy.

"Ime Udoka does a good job of it. He will go one possession regular man, next possession zone, go back to man, and the next three possessions zone.

All in the first quarter. In the first quarter. 

And it's like I don't care how good you are as a team, how connected you are as a group, how well you pass, guys are unselfish. If a coach does that and you're not prepared for it, you're all off-balance."

Udoka's Rockets ranked fourth in defensive efficiency last season, while allowing the sixth-fewest points in the league.

In Udoka's lone season with the Boston Celtics in 2021-22, they ranked second overall in defensive efficiency and allowed the fewest points in the league.

This should come as no surprise, however, as Udoka was a tenacious defender during his playing days, paving the way to a seven-year career in the league, including starting for the Portland Trail Blazers.