From the myth of Icarus to countless modern narratives, we see a recurring pattern: how humanity is brought back down to earth, often by our own hubris. Down in the chopped-and-screwed streets of Houston, Ime Udoka is rewriting his own myth, defying the Icarus curse. After a headline-making fall in Boston, he’s back recharged and ruthless, orchestrating a comeback with the Houston Rockets that has him leading the pack for the NBA’s coach of the year.
In his first year in charge of the Boston Celtics, Udoka led the team to the 2022 NBA finals – an extraordinary achievement for a rookie head coach. But after that finals appearance, he was suspended and eventually let go after accusations of an improper relationship with a female Celtics staff member. However, unlike Icarus, he has risen anew. In his second season with the Houston Rockets, he is rebuilding his career after what many see as significant moral failure. After three losing seasons, the Rockets are fourth in the Western Conference and looked to be headed for the postseason.
Despite the controversy surrounding his departure from the Celtics, Udoka was hired by the Rockets in April 2023. This decision raised eyebrows across the league, with many questioning whether a coach tied up in allegations of ethical failure deserved another chance so quickly. But Udoka’s off-the-court issues have not been an issue in Houston. His attention has seemed to be solely on the team. Considering the reports of why he left the Celtics, it’s notable that Udoka was hired to instill leadership and accountability in a team that had hit rock bottom.
Udoka inherited a talented group of swashbuckling youngsters – lottery and first-round picks brimming with talent but lacking cohesion. Fortunately, that situation plays to one of Udoka’s strengths. In Boston, he established a hierarchy the team had long struggled to define, centering Jayson Tatum as the first option. Jaylen Brown slotted into the No 2 role, where he thrived, while every other player accepted that playing defense was a prerequisite for staying in the rotation.
Before Udoka’s arrival in Houston, Turkish enigma Alperen Şengün was considered a “baby Jokić”, a soft, defense-averse big man with tremendous passing and scoring ability. Udoka committed Sengun to defense, evolving him into not just a first option but a playmaking hub who makes sure everyone around him eats, too. The 22-year-old made his first All-Star Game this season, while averaging 19.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. In Sengun’s first two seasons, his Defensive Box Plus Minus was 0.6 and 0.4. Under Udoka, he has posted 1.7 and 2.0. His Defensive Win Shares are also up, from 1.3 and 1.8 to 3.1 and 2.7.
As even Udoka would admit, he’s not perfect. He’s not a strong play-caller, especially out of timeouts and at the end of games. He has struggled to find a consistent role for young phenom Cam Whitmore. And Udoka’s infatuation with small-ball lineups has raised more than a few eyebrows, especially given how often they’ve been a liability. Those “fully switchable” lineups, ones without both traditional centers Şengün and Steven Adams, have gotten cooked. It’s not a one-off thing either; the data backs it up. Since 1 December, these no-Şengün/no-Adams lineups have been hemorrhaging points to the tune of -13.0 per 100 possessions.
Meanwhile, lineups with Adams on the floor do OK, posting a +3.8 per 100 possessions, and even Sengun, despite some struggles, is still a better bet at -12.7 than those tiny lineups. You can point to any number of games where a quarter implosion, with a ton of points given up, directly correlates with Udoka going small, like giving up 46 points in a single quarter, where the “fully switchable” lineup coughed up 1.8 points per possession in just six minutes. It isn’t working. Neither does his reluctance to put the ball in Şengün’s hands in crunch time. While there’s a hierarchy on defense, the offensive side is evolving. While it has led to late-game losses, it’s typically a work in progress, one that has to happen for a team to become a contender.
Udoka’s job of turning the Rockets’ defense into a contender isn’t done. Despite a respectable 8-7 record over their last 15 games, the Rockets remain among the league’s worst regarding ball movement – raising questions about when Udoka will emphasize a more fluid offense. The numbers paint a stark picture: the Rockets rank dead last in assist percentage (30th), near the bottom in assist ratio (29th), passes made (29th), assist-to-turnover ratio (28th), potential assists (27th), and points created off assists (26th). While their talent and defense have kept them competitive, their stagnant offense suggests a pressing need for a shift toward greater playmaking and unselfishness. The team continues to struggle with ball movement, a persistent issue reflected in their declining potential assists ranking over the season. After briefly peaking at 17th in November, they have hovered near the bottom of the league, ranking 24th in February, 25th in January, 26th in December, and 28th in October.
But what can’t be denied is the Rockets have an identity. One built on discipline, effort, respect, and defensive commitment. Udoka is, without a doubt, a leader of men. The biggest off-the-court issue has been idle gossip around Jalen Green’s relationship with Draya Michele, a woman 17 years his senior. None of the demons that haunted Udoka in Boston seemed to be an issue in Houston, a city that has plenty of dubious distractions if someone wants to find them.
The Rockets are young, and recent NBA champions have been anchored by stars in their mid-to-late 20s, from Tatum and Brown in Boston to Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray (26) in Denver. Meanwhile, Şengün, Green and Amen Thompson are all 22. This team is still in the early stages – talented but not yet built for a deep playoff run. For the Rockets to leap to true contender status, they need to sharpen their half-court offense and knock down more threes. Right now, they rank dead last in assisted field goals and sit near the bottom in both three-point attempts (28th) and points from beyond the arc (25th), relying too much on fast-break scoring (third in the league). Their ceiling remains limited until they develop a more fluid, efficient offense in the half-court and stretch defenses with consistent perimeter shooting. Seeing what Udoka has already done for Houston, the path forward is clear and attainable.
All the pieces are there. And as he showed in Boston, Udoka gets the best out of his players – young and grizzled alike. Most importantly, Houston, one of the best basketball cities in the world, the home of Phi Slama Jama, DJ Screw, the Geto Boys, Frenchy’s, Beyoncé and two NBA championships with Hakeem Olajuwon, has got its groove back. Next time you’re in Houston, step out in the evening and you can hear the horns and choir vocals of Houston’s song, UGK’s Int’l Players Anthem: “Don’t be a lame, you know the game and how it goes, we tryin’ to get chose!”
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