Rockets Stabilize Culture With Long-Term Extension For Ime Udoka

The Houston Rockets secured their organizational culture for the next little while by giving head coach Ime Udoka a long-term extension.

Although the exact length of the extension is unknown, Udoka will be earning eight figures annually. That makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is currently estimated as the league’s highest-paid coach at an annual salary of $17.5 million. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue are reportedly next at $15 million each.

Udoka guided the Rockets to a 52-30 record this season, good for the No. 2 seed in the West. In the playoffs, Houston fell to Golden State in the first round after a hard-fought seven games.

The former Boston Celtics head coach was hired in 2023 and has helped quickly transform the fortunes of the franchise. Houston finished 41-41 a year ago in his first season before taking another big step forward this past season. During the prior three seasons, the Rockets won 22, 20 and 17 games, respectively.

Udoka is among the coaches the New York Knicks requested permission to speak with but the Rockets denied.

During his tenure, Udoka has established a tough, gritty mindset and physical style of play. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks were acquired to help lead that culture and the young players have embraced it. Amen Thompson and Tari Eason have emerged as two extremely tough, no-nonsense defenders.

The addition of Steven Adams this season also proved fruitful with his bruising, intimidating style.

How Should Rockets Assess Udoka Moving Forward

Houston finished with the fourth-best defensive rating this season. That aspect of its play is well-established and the expectation is Udoka will continue to excel in that area.

The biggest concern moving forward will be the offense. The Rockets finished a deceptive 12th in offensive rating — deceptive because of how much offensive rebounds and put-backs propped them up. They had the highest offensive rebounding rate in the league at 35.4 percent.

Golden State exposed just how weak Houston’s half-court offense is. Udoka’s main challenge will be to add creativity and make life easier for his team.

Houston was 23rd in finishing at the basket, 25th in midrange efficiency and 20th in 3-point accuracy. There is room for improvement in every department.

Some of that may get addressed via trade, where the Rockets have been linked to a couple of superstars.