Ime Udoka reveals yet again why he is the perfect coach for the Rockets

As the Houston Rockets came away with the victory, 110-102, against the Dallas Mavericks on Monda night, things were not always pretty, with the offensively slumping Mavericks burning the Rockets in transition and playing with overwhelming energy throughout the course of the night.

Yet, head coach Ime Udoka's adjustments, namely giving minutes to both Aaron Holiday and Jae'Sean Tate in an effort to put out a smaller look on the court, showed his willingness to get creative when needed.

In the absence of starting point guard Fred VanVleet, and, in this case, Jabari Smith Jr., Udoka was willing to deepen the rotation in order to contend with a dangerous in-game trend, and this will be the key quality that could bring Houston back into championship contention this season.

Ime Udoka must be willing to use every part of the Rockets' rotation if necessary

As Houston entered the season, they could have suffered perhaps no greater loss than that of VanVleet. As a veteran guard with championship experience, VanVleet not only provided reliable ball-handling and intense perimeter defense for the team, he also was its premier leader over the past two seasons.

Therefore, Udoka knew he needed to get creative from the jump. While he tested out starting the double-big lineup at first, it quickly became clear that Houston needed a smaller look in order to stay viable on both ends of the court against certain matchups, and Udoka quickly adjusted.

The decision to start Josh Okogie in the backcourt, shifting Smith and Kevin Durant into the four and three spots, respectively, has already paid massive dividends, with the team finding a level of spacing that previously seemed impossible.

Yet, with Smith absent against Dallas with a minor ankle injury, Udoka adjusted yet again. In response to the Rockets getting burned in transition by a fast-paced Dallas team, Udoka gave minutes to both Holiday and Tate: two players that, up to this point, had only seen the floor in garbage time.

While Holiday and Tate did not make much of an impact on the stat sheet, posting a combined +5 through their 18 minutes on the court, they made a massive impact on the game, allowing Houston to, briefly, keep up with the pace that the Mavericks were playing with.

This was enough to allow the team to find its footing in the second half and ultimately was instrumental in their victory.

Without a doubt, this team has a number of strange rotation combinations that Udoka must learn to manage in order to compete, and, so far this season, he has done so excellently.