How Deep Will Ime Udoka's Rotation Be?

Will the Houston Rockets rotation go 10 or 11 players deep?

Feb 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka talks with forward Cam Whitmore (7) during the third quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Most NBA teams have a nine or 10-man regular season rotation. With 82 games and several months, head coaches are content with going deep into the bench. If you were following the Houston Rockets in the Mike D'Antoni era, he would usually go only seven or eight deep.

In Ime Udoka's first season as Rockets head coach, he had a set starting lineup outside of injuries and usually went 10 deep. The Rockets had 12 players who averaged over 10 minutes a game; of course, they played at different times throughout the season.

For instance, Jock Landale did not play much at all at the start of the season. Tari Eason only played in 22 games due to injury, so he wasn't part of the regular rotation last season. Going into the 2024-25 season, seeing how deep Udoka's rotation will go will be interesting.

The Rockets have also added another lottery pick in Reed Sheppard. As mentioned earlier, Eason didn't play most of last season, but he is fully healthy going into this season. The same goes for Steven Adams, who did not play last season after coming over in a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Rockets did not lose any players from last season, so minutes will be hard to come by this season. Udoka has said from day one that minutes have to be earned, so a player who didn't play at all for several games could earn minutes the next game.

That said, the five starters are set. It will likely be the same five as last season, barring a surprise. Eason, Adams, Cam Whitmore, and Amen Thompson are all but guaranteed minutes to start the season. That brings us to Jae'Sean Tate, Sheppard, and Holiday.

Tate tends to be the forgotten person on the team. He is the only player left from the James Harden era. Even though Tate does not get the same playing time he did during phase one of the rebuild, Udoka still holds him in high regard.

There is a good chance Tate will still see minutes throughout the season. As for Sheppard, even though he is a rookie and minutes will be hard to come by, he still has a chance to carve out a role because of his elite shooting.

Holiday is another player that Udoka has a lot of confidence in. So much so that Holiday finished a handful of games last season; many believe he would not be back this season with the Rockets adding Sheppard, but Udoka values veterans who don't make mistakes and are always in the right spot.

The Rockets will likely not go 11 or 12 men deep into the rotation. For most of the season, it will probably be a nine, or at most 10-man rotation. With so many quality players, the battle for minutes will be an ongoing story all season. Regardless, Udoka is likely not complaining about having too many quality players.

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