Will Hardy, head coach of the Utah Jazz, has inside knowledge of his Houston counterpart, Ime Udoka. Hardy was a prominent assistant to Udoka when the latter was head coach in Boston, and both were assistants to Gregg Popovich for years in San Antonio.
Under Udoka’s leadership, Houston exited Saturday (after a win over the visiting Jazz) as arguably the NBA’s hottest team. The Rockets (35-35) have won eight straight games and have a 10-1 record in March, best of any team in the league. That’s put them back in the postseason race in the Western Conference.
Prior to that game at Toyota Center, Hardy spoke to Rockets Wire regarding Udoka’s performance during his first season in Houston.
Hardy’s comments:
I think Ime has done an incredible job. You can see, by the way that their team plays, that they are mirroring his personality. They’re a tough-minded, defensive team. I think what he’s been able to do with this group, this season, is pretty remarkable.
It’s been fun to watch from afar, because I love Ime. But they’re no fun to play against, because they’re very physical, and the switching is tough to score against. And they have some talented offensive players.
I think what Ime has done in Year 1 here is pretty special.
The complete video can be viewed below.
Jazz coach Will Hardy and Ime Udoka have a long history (Celtics, Spurs) together, so I asked him about Ime’s Year 1 in Houston:
“The way their team plays, they are mirroring his personality. Tough minded. What he’s been able to do with this group is pretty remarkable. Special.” pic.twitter.com/Y2DtBfwXDp
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) March 23, 2024
The Rockets entered this season coming off three consecutive years at the basement of the West standings, though all three of those teams were coached by Udoka’s predecessor, Stephen Silas.
Now, under Udoka, the Rockets rank in the NBA’s 10 best defenses of the 2023-24 season after being near the bottom in recent years.
The offseason additions of key veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks certainly helped, but so, too, has Udoka’s guidance.
