There has been some serious speculation that the Houston Rockets could look to move on from head coach Ime Udoka over the offseason following the disappointment that was the 2025-26 NBA season.
However, that doesn’t appear to be the plan for Houston.
Rockets Have ‘No Plans’ of Moving on From Head Coach Ime Udoka After Disappointing Season
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 25: Head coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets reacts in the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Toyota Center on October 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
According to a report from Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, the Rockets don’t plan to move on from either Udoka or general manager Rafael Stone at this point in time. Overall, the organization seems to feel that injuries to key contributors Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, and not roster construction or coaching, were the main reason for the team’s underwhelming season. The Rockets also didn’t have star forward Kevin Durant for all but one game of their first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“At this juncture, there are no plans to move on from either Udoka or general manager Rafael Stone, sources told Yahoo Sports. Ownership has remained steadfast in its belief in a three-pronged leadership sector because of a combination of the turnaround in recent years and consecutive 50-win seasons, the latter of which was marked by major injuries — resulting in confidence from the top down,” Iko wrote.
“One of the prevailing internal beliefs concerning this roster is assuming that VanVleet and Adams are healthy — along with Durant — the Rockets aren’t too far removed from Western Conference powers Oklahoma City and San Antonio.”
Ime Udoka Will be Under Major Pressure in Houston Next Season
While Udoka may have survived this season, it’s difficult to imagine the same thing happening again next year. There will be major pressure on Udoka, who will likely enter the season on the proverbial hot seat. If the Rockets don’t show marked improvement, the organization could look to go in a different direction when it comes to head coach.
Udoka expressed disappointment after Houston was eliminated in six games in the first round by a Lakers team that was missing star guard Luka Doncic for the entirety of the series. It was Houston’s second consecutive first-round exit.
“Everybody’s disappointed,” Udoka said. “Not what we expected coming into the game tonight or the series in general. We all thought we’d be taking it back for Game 7. But to your point, a tough night for a lot of guys. It’s tough when a lot of guys are struggling like that, and we need somebody to step up.”
The Rockets will have a lot of questions to answer over the offseason, but with this recent report regarding Udoka, it seems like one question has already been answered.
Ime Udoka’s Future With Houston Rockets Gets Major Update After Disappointing Season