HOUSTON — When Ime Udoka was hired as the head coach of the Boston Celtics in 2021, he inherited a roster consisting of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford. His core group of players had 34 years of NBA experience, and three had been to the Eastern Conference finals two years prior.
Two years later, he has been tasked to lead a Houston Rockets team that has 11 players with 23 combined years of NBA service.
Buy Rockets TicketsLast season, the Rockets’ oldest starter was point guard Kevin Porter Jr., who was a whopping 22 years old. Meanwhile, the youngest player in their lineup was Jabari Smith Jr., a 19-year-old forward.
On Wednesday, team owner Tilman Fertitta and general manager Rafael Stone introduced Udoka as Houston’s new head coach.
Formerly a seven-year NBA player and a longtime assistant coach, Udoka has a plan that will not allow players to use age and inexperience as an excuse when they are on the court.
“Just trying to expedite the process of becoming professionals,” Udoka said at his introductory press conference. “They (Fertitta and Stone) heard me say that one of my first messages will be youth is not an excuse. Across the board, whether it’s making the same mistakes, not making the right defensive assignments, or shot selection, all that stuff has to be addressed but also improved on.”
“Understanding that we’re going to take some lumps with our age and our youth, but my message to them will be that’s not an excuse,” the 45-year-old said. “You’ve been in the league. You’ve been taught. And that’s my job: to teach, to expedite that process.”
In his lone season with Boston, Udoka helped guide the Celtics from a 36-36 record a year prior under former head coach Brad Stevens to a 51-31 record and appearance in the NBA Finals versus Golden State. It wasn’t always easy for the former assistant to legendary head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, but Udoka finally persuaded his players to buy into his system after about 35 games.
“One of my first messages will be youth is not an excuse,” said Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka when I asked him about taking on a team that has 11 players with 23 years of combined NBA experience. #Rockets #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/NAXtxfbkqs
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) April 27, 2023
“Understanding that having some patience, just like I had to do in Boston,” Udoka told reporters on Wednesday. “I had to change some habits there as well. Those guys were more of a veteran group and guys who had been around. It’s no different from anywhere else. I’m looking forward to doing that here.”
One of the primary adjustments for young players will be getting used to Udoka’s stern coaching style, which is very much the opposite of former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas.
“My style personally is very upfront, honest and blunt to an extent,” Udoka said. “I think the players respect honesty, straightforwardness. I’m a very relatable guy to the players. That’s what I try to build in relationships. I’m going to coach hard, coach them the right way, and I think a lot of guys respect that.”
