The Houston Rockets could have a better season in the 2024-25 campaign. With the development of their young core and the entry into year two under Ime Udoka, the Rockets should be able to take a small leap forward.
Sure, the young core of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and others need to find improved play while Reed Sheppard could provide a boost off the bench, but Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, entrenched as veterans, could leave Houston as a playoff team.
The talent is there. If the young core develops, as mentioned earlier, all that’s left is for Udoka to put the pieces together, push the right buttons and let the results speak for themselves.
Vegas is pretty confident that Udoka will do it too. According to FanDuelThe Rockets head coach has the best odds to win Coach of the Year for the 2024-25 NBA season at +850, tied with New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Heading into his second season with the club, there are reasons to be optimistic about Udoka and the Rockets. As mentioned earlier, a rising core of youngsters combined with two veterans who have already won could be what helps the team take another leap forward and find their way back to the playoffs.
The Knicks’ head coach will face a tough challenge, however. Thibodeau will have prepared his New York team, which improved its roster this offseason by adding former Rockets target Mikal Bridges.
The Rockets head coach does have one advantage over Thibodeau, though: he has room to improve. The Knicks have 50 wins, while Houston has just 41. Improving by five or six wins and making the playoffs would be a huge boost for Udoka, and it’s not a stretch given the team’s high potential and large pool of young talent.
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