3 ways Ime Udoka has already shown he was the right hire for the Rockets

We feel bad for Stephen Silas.

Seriously. The former Houston Rockets head coach was dealt a bad hand. The team wanted to lose, yet somehow, he was held accountable for their losses.

At the same time, firing him was the only option. Inertia waits for nobody. Silas' time with the Rockets had run out, and it was time to move on.

Now, Ime Udoka is at the helm. In his first year with the Rockets, he led the team to a .500 record. We can't attribute their newfound success entirely to a coaching change. The Rockets added several quality veterans in free agency, and Amen Thompson was ready to contribute in a scaled-down role.

We still think Udoka was the right hire - and here are 3 reasons why.

1. Udoka sets a tone

We won't print the word Udoka called LeBron James this season. Let's just say that if we tried to "pitch" it to our boss, he'd tell us "which" word to remove - and may leave our employment in a "ditch".

We're not condoning abusive language. Still, it took moxie for Udoka to come at the King. He was also sending a message to his young Rockets club:

We aren't scared of anybody.

That was the tone for the Rockets for the rest of the season. After three years of egregious losing, this team played like they could beat anyone. We think Udoka's leadership had a lot to do with that.

2. Udoka holds the Rockets accountable

Udoka doesn't strictly keep opponents in check. If someone on the team isn't meeting expectations, they're going to hear about it too.

How short was Jalen Green's leash this year? We saw him sit for entire fourth quarters because he wasn't helping the team win. It's a brand of tough love that isn't for everyone.

It seems to possibly suit Green. We're not going to say his torrid March owes to Udoka - we'll credit Green's talent. Still, he didn't seem dejected from Udoka's discipline. He seemed motivated.

Green wasn't the only one to receive that tough love. Alperen Sengun sat when his defensive shortcomings were proving problematic. Amen Thompson had to settle into an off-ball role when it became clear that his lack of shooting was a problem on-ball. Udoka is holding this young team accountable:

That's a large part of why they're breaking their bad habits.

3. Udoka revolutionized the defense

Again, this doesn't owe entirely to Udoka. Adding Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks surely helped the Rockets overhaul their defense. Still, the results were staggering.

In 2022-23, the Rockets had a Defensive Rating of 118.5. It was the second-worst mark in the league. Last year, they had a Defensive Rating of 112.8 - good for 10th in the NBA.

Yes, adding VanVleet and Brooks is a factor. That shouldn't negate the systemic changes that Udoka made. Silas had Alperen Sengun sinking or swimming in drop coverage - and he usually sank. Udoka moved him closer to the level and put him in a hedge-and-recover scheme. His defense emphasizes swarming the perimeter instead of relying on Sengun in an area of weakness.

That's good coaching. It's the type of ingenuity that helped Udoka lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals, and it's exactly the reason he was the right hire for the Rockets.

With all due respect to Stephen Silas.