Rockets’ Coach Lands Top-10 in CBS’ Rankings

Ime Udoka has continued to earn national respect as a head coach in the league.

Apr 11, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka looks on against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets’ turnaround could be attributed to plenty of things.

The team’s top draft picks, which feature Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and more in the last few seasons. Their shelling out on the free agent market last offseason to land a former All-Star in Fred VanVleet and defensive stalwart in Dillon Brooks. And plenty of other moves made along the way.

But Ime Udoka has unquestionably been one of the larger factors in getting the Rockets’ off the launch pad. So much so, that CBS Sports recently ranked him No. 8 among all head coaches in the NBA.

In Udoka’s first year with the team, he helped Houston nearly double its win total from the previous season, improving by 19 to a record of 41-41. The additions of Thompson, VanVleet and Brooks of course helped, but the improvement likely couldn’t have happened without Udoka’s tutelage.

Just seven coaches lie ahead of Udoka on the list, and there’s sound logic behind most of those options: Erik Spoelstra, Ty Lue, Steve Kerr, Rick Carlisle, Nick Nurse, Mark Daigneault and Will Hardy.

CBS’ Sam Quinn didn’t mince words on Udoka, but did give him flowers: “Udoka walks the tightrope between intense accountability and boundless creativity as well as practically any coach in the NBA. He's old-school demanding with every modern strategic twist you could ask for. He's destined for a top-five spot on this list. He just hasn't been around long enough yet to get there,”

Houston will open up their 2024-25 preseason with an evening matchup against the Jazz on Oct. 7.

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