Houston Rockets' coach Ime Udoka flashed a wry smile last week when asked to assess what his team was missing in its seven-game, first-round playoff elimination against the Golden State Warriors.
"I'd say 90 percent free-throw shooters and 50 percent three-point shooters," Udoka said at his end-of-season media availability at Toyota Center. "That's what we're missing."
Udoka was playful in his assessment of his team's shortcomings. His response also pointed to a not-so-underlying truth about the current state of the Rockets.
Houston finished the regular season in the bottom third league-wide in three-point attempts per game, made three-pointers per game, and three-point percentage.