The 2023-24 season for the Houston Rockets was surprising, frustrating and, ultimately, a season of progress. With a new coach and new additions to the line up, some bumps in the road were to be expected, but to finish the year at .500, a 19-game improvement, coming off three of the worst years in franchise history was worth celebrating.
Now that the Rockets will have to watch the postseason like the other teams that didn't make the NBA postseason, it's a good time to look back and give some grades to this young, talented team.It's one thing to be a new coach. It's a whole other to be a new coach in only his second year running the show and expected to mold a bunch of young players into a winning team after three of the worst seasons in franchise history.
It wasn't Udoka's fault he has a team lacking quality shooting. This was a bad shooting team. But, they got plenty of open looks and that's mainly because of how they put together their sets on the floor.Most coaches who have tough approach like Udoka are not one's to play rookies, yet Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore got plenty of chances and exploited them. Additionally, Udoka allowed them, and every other player on the team, to learn and grow at their own pace.
By the second half of the season, a new Jalen Green emerged. He began making the right decisions, he rebounded more than ever before, increased his assist total while scoring at will, and became a lock down one-on-one defender. Essentially, he learned that when his shot wasn't falling, he could still impact the game and when he did, it would benefit not just the team, but his own game. It wasn't exactly a reclamation project, but during the season it certainly felt like it.
is a writer, editor, photographer, tech expert and native Houstonian. He has written for a wide range of publications and co-authored the official 50th anniversary book for the Houston Rockets.The Houston Press may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Houston Press, LP. All rights reserved.
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