{"id":194763,"date":"2026-05-10T15:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T19:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=194763"},"modified":"2026-05-10T15:05:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T19:05:51","slug":"rockets-head-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/10\/rockets-head-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Head Coach: Can Culture Changers Win Championships?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Orlando Magic lost in seven games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. One day later, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley was fired<\/a>. The Houston Rockets lost in six games<\/a> in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Nine days later, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka remains in place. Is Udoka already safe for the Rockets’ uncertain offseason<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Will The Rockets’ Head Coach Decision Cost Them Next Season?<\/h2>\n

Udoka has been the Rockets’ head coach since the 2023-24 season. In his three seasons, he has accrued a record<\/a> of 145-101. He’s made the playoffs twice and has gone 5-8, failing to advance past the first round in either season.<\/p>\n

Mosley was the Orlando Magic head coach from 2021-22 to 2025-26. In that time, he achieved a record<\/a> of just 189-221. However, crucially, he oversaw the Magic rebuild. In his first season, the team went 22-60. In his last three, the team went 133-113 and made the playoffs each time. Similar to Udoka, though, a lack of adjustments reared its head in the playoffs. The team failed to advance past the first round.<\/p>\n

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Defense Versus Offense<\/h3>\n

What\u2019s interesting about the two coaches is their stylistic similarity. In particular, both coaches built a culture that put total faith in the defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, on offense, things got ugly. In particular, both coaches overindulged in isolation basketball<\/a> relative to their team’s abilities. The Rockets were sixth in isolation frequency in 2025-26 despite being fifteenth in points per possession. Meanwhile, the Magic were seventeenth in frequency, but had the fourth-lowest points per possession.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the three-point lines in Houston and Orlando were pointedly deprioritized. In 2025-26, the Magic attempted the ninth-fewest threes per game in the league. The Rockets attempted the third fewest. As if to catch up, the Magic shot the third-worst three-point percentage<\/a>. The result was that the two teams had the sixth and seventh fewest made threes per game.<\/p>\n

Now, undoubtedly, the Rockets\u2019 and Magic\u2019s three-point woes weren\u2019t all on their coaches. But the Rockets added historic scorer Kevin Durant<\/a> this season, and gave more minutes to young sharpshooter Reed Sheppard<\/a>. Yet, since last season<\/a>, they actually dropped in three-pointers made per game from 12.7 to 11.5.<\/p>\n

Also, Udoka, in particular, is suspected to have influenced his team\u2019s roster decisions since he arrived. He pushed for Fred VanVleet<\/a> over James Harden<\/a> for 2023-24. When Harden goes 3 of 13<\/a> and lets a playoff opponent light him up<\/a>, that looks like a good call. When he goes 8 of 14 with multiple clutch buckets down the stretch<\/a>, it looks like a missed opportunity. But such is the duality of Harden, as many Rockets fans will well remember.<\/p>\n