Ime Udoka's latest quote can only mean one thing for Rockets

Wednesday night's loss against the Memphis Grizzlies was quite a disappointment for the Houston Rockets, who need as many wins as they can get at this point. At 24-30, the Rockets could miss the play-in tournament altogether, as they currently sit 3.5 games back of the tenth-seeded Golden State Warriors. 

Rockets coach Ime Udoka was visibly frustrated and looking for answers and/or changes to make. Udoka could change the Rockets' starting lineup before making any other tweaks, based on his postgame presser.

"It’s definitely a concern — problem. Maybe I have to look at the rotation and the lineup I have out there starting and try to get five competitors out the court at one time to avoid poor starts like that.

“I will look at all of that over the break, look in the mirror myself, and figure out the best way to move forward to get us off to better starts.”

There's really only one person Udoka could be referring to here: Jalen Green. 

The 2023-24 season has been a bit of a bumpy ride for Jalen Green, to put it politely. 

Jalen Green could be in line for a different role with the Rockets.

Green has had games in which he's shown the same star ability through his first two seasons, while he's also had games that make one question whether he'd be able to contribute on a contending team. After all, the Rockets were a tanking team.

Somebody has to score, right? Even on losing teams.

To many, this was supposed to be the year Green turned it all around. He's playing alongside a championship-winning floor general and doesn't have Kevin Porter Jr. to steal touches and take shots from him.

Green and Porter were a bit of an odd fit, as they both played the same position. The Rockets tried to offset this by changing Porter's position.

This meant Green would ascend into the Rockets' closer, right?

If only it was so simple.

This could technically still happen, albeit as a Sixth Man, as his minutes could be staggered in the event that Green picks it up and goes on a hot stretch. This would figure to be challenging for Green, who would likely be pulled from the starting lineup for the first time in his life.

But it's painfully obvious that this is the change Udoka was referencing, so we may find out sooner than later.