Rockets Complete New Roster, Putting More Pressure on Udoka With No Room for Excuses

Recently, some people have pointed out that Rockets head coach Ime Udoka often looks for various excuses to avoid responsibility after team losses. He frequently attributes defeats to factors such as poor player performances, a lack of effort, and even external issues like injuries. However, some believe that as the head coach, Udoka should take responsibility for losses instead of repeatedly shifting blame and placing the burden of failure on others.

In reality, the Rockets' roster is already quite strong for the upcoming season. Some have questioned whether Houston is weaker compared with elite star-studded rosters like the Philadelphia 76ers, but although the Rockets only have one prominent superstar in Alperen Sengun, their overall roster depth has improved significantly. Last season, the Rockets' biggest issues were the lack of a quality primary point guard and shooters, especially their poor outside shooting ability. This caused Kevin Durant and Sengun to frequently face double teams in key moments, making it difficult for Houston to break down opposing defenses and causing them to miss many winnable games.

Although the Rockets did not add a superstar during the offseason, I can still see that they signed four quality perimeter shooters, including minimum-salary guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Marcus Smart, who once helped the Lakers eliminate the Rockets, as well as two tall rookie point guards: two-way contract player Copeland and Thornton, who shot over 40 percent from three-point range in the Summer League.

With so many shooters joining the team, the Rockets' lack of three-point firepower on the perimeter next season is expected to be addressed. With Fred VanVleet also returning from injury, Houston will have even more options for outside shooting. Legendary coach Mike D'Antoni, who has just entered the Hall of Fame, expressed his approval, said he was excited about the Rockets' current roster, and stated that if he coached this team, he would certainly enjoy it because he would have many talented players at his disposal.

D'Antoni clearly approved of the Rockets' offseason additions and believes Houston will be a top team next season with both elite defense and strong shooting ability. Although the Rockets performed well defensively last season, they struggled offensively, while the new season could bring a more balanced team on both ends of the court. In D'Antoni's view, if the Rockets make good use of these new perimeter players, they can naturally display much stronger outside shooting ability.

If D'Antoni were ten years younger and serving as head coach, he would certainly be willing to try this kind of lineup. For Udoka, there can be no more excuses in the new season. If he still cannot lead the team past its current bottleneck, he will have little room for defense, especially with VanVleet and Adams already returning and the addition of a deep group of perimeter shooters. The hope is that the Rockets can show the level of performance expected of them.