As part of Monday’s media day at Toyota Center, head coach Ime Udoka outlined several priorities for his initial training camp with the Houston Rockets, which begins on Tuesday.
“Internal growth is going to be the biggest step for us,” Udoka said. “The guys that have been here and have gone through the rough times, we need to see growth and improvement from them.
Buy Rockets Tickets“Guys being held to a different standard, to play a certain way, you’ll see that rapid improvement. When you add certain guys to the roster, things can change quickly. For us, it’s about being ultra competitive, playing a different way and making some noise every night.”
Those comments were echoed by general manager Rafael Stone.
“I do think we’re in a different phase, and the expectations we have for this group are markedly different than the expectations of the past couple of years,” Stone said. “I think we should be more organized and more competitive. All summer, the indications are we will be.”
Here’s a roundup of what we heard from Udoka at Monday’s media day from Toyota Center. Training camp officially begins Tuesday at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Ime Udoka at 2023 Rockets media day
Ime Udoka on Jalen Green next season:
“(Jalen Green’s) a natural scorer but we want him to do everything.
We want a guy that’s as talented as him to be more well rounded and that’ll be the challenge for him.”#Rockets pic.twitter.com/mxipRoxXMr
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) October 2, 2023
Udoka on his team’s expected identity:
“Defensive side of the ball, we have players to be good there initially.”
— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) October 2, 2023
Ime Udoka says he wants the #Rockets to look "visually different" than they have in the recent past, particularly from an effort standpoint
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) October 2, 2023
Coach Udoka “We go through 1-12 with a lot of confidence”
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) October 2, 2023
Ime Udoka says a lot of players overlook Fred VanVleet because of his stature but "he's one of the toughest, most competitive guys on the defensive end."
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) October 2, 2023
Ime Udoka says there would have been an "open competition" between Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. for a starting spot, but that's obviously no longer the case.
Mentioned Cam Whitmore and Aaron Holiday as among the internal options to fill that role
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) October 2, 2023
Ime Udoka specifically mentioned Cam Whitmore when asked about filling the void left by Kevin Porter Jr. and the role the #Rockets expected to have for him.
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) October 2, 2023
Ime Udoka says the team will be coached differently and with accountability, something that might not have been there in the past.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) October 2, 2023
