The Rockets recently lost 92-100 to the Lakers in Houston after a terrible fourth-quarter performance where the team only scored four points in the last 6:12 of the game (12 total in the quarter).
Subsequently, Kevin Durant went viral for claiming that the Rockets should not make him the primary ball-handler down the stretch, and he feels that sometimes he needs to “get out of the way” of his teammates in pivotal possessions of the games.
Before tonight’s rematch against the Lakers, the Rockets’ head coach, Ime Udoka, spoke to the media at the pregame press conference and was asked about his opinion on the comments by Durant.
“No, you want a mix for sure. I think a lot of times, he’s gonna be initiating at times in the game. The double teams outside of turning it over have been very good for us this year.”
“Teams have done it late, and it bit us in the behind a few times, but overall the numbers show it really well when we don’t turn it over and get it to scorers in the pocket and make the right play. But, obviously, the turnovers are way too high.”
“We do want some other actions, especially when he’s being denied the way he is and trapped at the half-court,” Udoka concluded.
What Udoka essentially wanted to say was that while they cannot become overreliant on Durant, he will have to take up the ball-handling duties at times to give the opposing teams a new adjustment to look at. They cannot simply take him off the ball and limit him to catch-and-shoot when he’s not being doubled.
Therefore, Udoka feels Durant cannot simply “get out of the way” since his getting double-teamed has often benefited the Rockets to get open looks, which subsequently get converted.
Kenyon Martin Says What Kevin Durant Couldn’t Say About Ime Udoka
When Kevin Durant was initially asked about his opinions on the game, he began with a frustrated look on his face and said, “I don’t know, you’ve got to ask—” before he changed his answer mid-sentence.
Several eyes noticed Durant’s hesitation to speak his mind and assumed he wanted to point the finger at their head coach, Ime Udoka, who has been facing a lot of criticism recently for not coaching the offensive side of the game well for the Rockets.
Kenyon Martin, the former NBA player, also saw Durant’s hesitation and expressed what he felt Durant wanted to say but held back from saying.
“I’m going to do you a favor, KD, I’m going to finish the sentence for you. You need to go ask Ime Udoka. They need to go ask the coach. I’ll finish it since you can’t say it. I’ll finish it for you.”
“Go ask Ime why they got me in this situation constantly throughout the season. Go ask him why we don’t have any plays,” Martin said on the Gil’s Arena show.
This exchange between Kevin Durant and Ime Udoka, combined with comments from experts like Kenyon Martin, has certainly put the Rockets’ head coach in a position to rethink his offensive playbook.
Giving the ball to Kevin Durant and getting out of his way is not going to be effective if not done at the right time. Opposition defenses make the required adjustments if they run the same play every time.
Hence, Udoka needs to seriously rethink the team’s offensive strategy for the last 15 games of the regular season if they want to have any chance at going beyond the first round in the playoffs.
