After the situation with the Boston Celtics fell apart, leading to the team parting ways with head coach Ime Udoka, the future was uncertain for the storied NBA franchise and the coach leading them to the NBA Finals last season.
Udoka’s dismissal led to the promotion of Joe Mazzulla, who didn’t do a terrible job of filling his shoes, as the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but just fell short of a second trip to the Finals as the result of a Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat.
As for Udoka, the promising young head coach had to wait for some new coaching opportunities and found just that, with the Houston Rockets reaching out to hire him to be their new head coach.
Although Udoka has some reputation rebuilding to do as he starts his second head coaching job in the NBA, the 45-year-old is already getting some praise, with former NBA player Kenyon Martin saying the following about him via FanDuel TV.
.@KenyonMartinSr is encouraged by the #Rockets direction and thinks the Ime Udoka head coach hire was a good new step for them 🙌#RunItBack with @ShamsCharania @MichelleDBeadle @ChandlerParsons & @bansky pic.twitter.com/tkhB8L63vQ
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) June 5, 2023
Despite missing out on winning the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, which would have secured the team French superstar Victor Wembanyama in the upcoming draft, the Rockets are a promising young squad with a potentially high ceiling.
Udoka definitely has his work cut out for him in Houston with many talented young players, but he might be able to luck out and grab superstar guard James Harden in free agency next month, where he’s been rumored to land.
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out in Houston and if Udoka can have the same success with the Rockets as he did with the Celtics.
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