After a 121-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, the Houston Rockets sit at the top of the Western Conference standings. Their other wins came against divisional opponents in the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.

Head coach Ime Udoka’s fourth season with the Rockets is off to a strong start for a variety of reasons. One key element is the return of Fred VanVleet, who missed last season with an ACL injury.

During a recent appearance on Sports on Prime, VanVleet revealed whether Udoka, known for being serious on the sidelines, has a more relaxed demeanor away from game time.

“Yes, but not during the game. For the other 21 hours of the day, he’s pretty unserious. He’s actually very funny, joking all the time, making jokes and cracking jokes on people. But during the game, it’s hard to get him to smile. I always try to make jokes with him and loosen him up a little bit during the game because, no matter what, he’s mad at us, he’s mad at the refs, or he’s mad at the other team. He’s just an angry bull out there, man. But that’s why I’m out there, to kind of be the bridge between him and our team.”

The Hot Seat

As the head coaching position tends to be one of the most vulnerable in the NBA for job security, Udoka should be looking to reassert himself as one of the league’s top coaches.

Udoka’s debut season as a head coach resulted in a 2022 NBA Finals appearance. Since taking on the role for the Rockets in 2023, however, the franchise has not made it beyond the first round of the playoffs.

There is an added sense of pressure for Udoka when considering the talent on Houston’s roster. The likes of Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson all have the potential to earn All-Star selections in 2027.

With Durant having a player option for the 2027-2028 season, the Rockets should be operating with a win-now mindset to maximize the 38-year-old’s impact. He has not shown any signs of slowing down, averaging 26.0 points over 36.4 minutes per game last season.

Overall, in the first week of the new season, Udoka has met the expectations of a coach of a title-contending team. He continues to put an emphasis on defense, which was crucial to Friday’s win over the Spurs. Houston entered Sunday as one of only two 3-0 teams in the NBA.