The Houston Rockets acted rather quickly in their search for the 16th coach in franchise history as they reportedly reached a deal to hire former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka on Monday afternoon.
Hiring Udoka marks a stark departure from Houston's previous coaching search. The Rockets replaced Mike D'Antoni with Stephen Silas ahead of the 2020-21 season, bringing in a coach with nearly two decades of experience as an assistant, yet no previous stints at the end of a bench. The hire didn't yield positive results. Houston finished in the Western Conference cellar in three consecutive years, including a 60-loss campaign in 2022-23.