Rockets Kevin Durant shares how head coach Udoka helps players improve

Rockets All-Star Kevin Durant reviews how head coach Ime Udoka motivates players to improve through defense.

Houston Rockets All-Star Kevin Durant praised his head coach Ime Udokka before reuniting with the former assistant coach while playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Players and coaches are preparing for the reunion after the Phoenix Suns traded Durant to the Rockets this summer. Under Udoka, the Houston Rockets are now considered a title contender.

Last season, Udoka led the team was one of the best teams in the NBA's defense. Considering Ime's versatile tactics, Durant's outstanding performance was not surprising. Kevin believes that this can motivate players to make progress on both offense and defense. Durant said in an interview with the Mind The Game podcast interviewed by Steve Nash and LeBron James that this is exactly why Udoka became an efficient coach.

"I see a lot of coaches being creative on the defensive end, which drives players to keep improving on the offensive end," Durant said. "Because when I was training, I felt that even the man-to-man defense began to be a bit like regional joint defense, with too many amenities. If you can't shoot, they will definitely enter regional joint defense. If someone on the court cannot shoot, they will definitely be put into regional joint defense by all the players."

Udoka constantly changes the team's defensive formation, often making the opponent unable to understand.

"He will play regular man-to-man defense in one round. The next round is regional joint. Go back to man-to-man defense. The next three rounds are regional joint," Durant said. "Everything is in the first quarter. I don't care how good your team is, how strong your cohesion is, how good your passes are, how selfless your players are, if the coach does this and you are not prepared, you will lose balance."

Under the leadership of the champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Rockets ended up second in the Western Conference with a record of 52-30, but were defeated 3-4 to the Golden State Warriors in the first round and were eliminated.

Kevin Durant reviews the Nets' sprint before the Rockets' debut, Kevin Durant, the Rockets All-Star player, reviews his experiences with Steve Nash. Ime Udoka was once a member of the Nets' coaching staff and eventually became the Rockets' head coach. Durant said Nash had to deal with a lot of outside noise that often distracted his Nets head coach.

"I felt like we had the same idea at the time and understood that we wanted to do something special here," Durant said. "But I feel like you're on the go because you have to do it - as a coach, you have to deal with a lot of things." The Rockets in 2025-26 may be the best chance for Udoka to lead the team back to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2022 Boston Celtics.