Entering April, the Houston Rockets are suddenly back in the Western Conference postseason race after an NBA-best record of 13-2 in March, including an 11-game winning streak.
Understandably, this led to the team being represented Tuesday in the NBA’s monthly awards announcements. Head coach Ime Udoka received Western Conference Coach of the Month honors and Jalen Green and Amen Thompson were among the nominees for Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month, respectively.
Green and Thompson didn’t win. The top player award went to Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and the top rookie honor to Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
Yet, in pregame comments from Minnesota prior to Tuesday’s game, Udoka made it clear he is among their leading advocates.
When asked about his own award, Udoka said:
It means the team is playing well. Accolades are always based on team performance, and it means our guys are improving and doing what we’re supposed to. I give all the credit to those guys.
It’s an honor, obviously, and all those things shed light on the team. I like to look at the guys on the court and what they’re doing. I felt like Jalen should have gotten Player of the Month and Amen probably should have gotten Rookie of the Month, in my opinion.
They’re the guys doing it on the court and putting this streak together, making adjustments when guys are out … and increasing their level (of play). I wish they would have got it more so than me, honestly.
Ime Udoka on winning Coach of the Month: "I like to look at the guys on the court and what they're doing. I felt like Jalen should have gotten Player of the Month and Amen probably should have gotten Rookie of the Month, in my opinion… I wish they would have got it more so than… pic.twitter.com/8OWKfVCsgZ
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) April 2, 2024
Both Green and Thompson flourished in the aftermath of a potentially season ending injury suffered by Alperen Sengun on March 10. Green took on a larger role as the focal point of Houston’s offense, while Thompson replaced Sengun in the starting lineup and became a force in areas related to defense and rebounding.
In 15 March games, Green averaged 27.7 points (49.2% FG, 40.8% on 3-pointers), 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and only 2.3 turnovers per game. His plus/minus figure when on the court was plus 11.3.
In 10 post-Sengun games as a starter, Thompson has averaged 15.1 points (58.1% FG), 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.2 minutes. He’s also been near the top of the list when it comes to Houston’s most valuable and versatile defenders. The Rockets rank in the top 10 of the league in defensive rating over that span.
