Before the NBA’s 2024 All-Star break, the Houston Rockets ranked No. 23 among 30 teams in offensive rating, No. 17 in pace and No. 15 in 3-point attempts per game. After the break, that changed to No. 15 on offense, No. 7 in pace, and No. 2 in 3-point volume.
With a first-year head coach in Ime Udoka and a relatively young roster with several developing prospects, the Rockets (41-41) were careful not to try installing too much too soon.
But as the year progressed, Houston installed more layers to its offense, and Udoka said at the team’s recent end-of-season press conference that he anticipates that continuing into 2024-25.
Among Udoka’s comments:
We had success with pace, 3-point shots … and some different guys being offensive rebounders. We emphasized that after the All-Star break. We wanted to lay the foundation (first). It’s a balance when you want to go from 29th in turnovers (last season) to top five, or wherever we ended (tied for No. 6).
Even with Alperen (Sengun) out there, we increased (pace) after the All-Star break, so it wasn’t only because he was out. We’ll do some of those things better. I kept it pretty vanilla as far as ATOs (after-timeout plays) and draw-ups.
We’re trying to build this foundation to get our IQ up and don’t want to get too complicated offensively, at times. I think you’ll see some improvement.
Full video of Udoka’s press conference is available below. With Udoka leading the charge, the Rockets plan to work collaboratively this offseason and well in advance of 2024-25 training camp. That could enable the addition of more layers to the playbook next season.
