November 6, 2025 • 8 mins
Head Coach Ime Udoka Joins Ahead of Match Up Vs Spurs
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Is the mac Thomas Show with Ross. Last night, Memphis
Rockets pick up another victory, five in a row, knocking
off the Grizzlies. Talk about it for ten minutes here
on the radio program. He's the head coach of your
Houston Rockets. I may Adoka here on the program. Uh
Emate's Matt ROSSA good morning to you, coach.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I didn't have Josha Koge three straight threes on my
Bengo car from last night? Did you have that on
your card?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
With the attention that our brand and Kevin tract, somebody's
gonna get open looks and he was the recipient obviously,
was confident knocking down.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
It's really good to have it. We were talking about
in the first hour doubling Houston Rocket players right now,
it's a pretty risky situation for opponents, would you agree.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, We're we're getting to our spacing. Guys are our
outlets are there, and uh, guys are gonna be unselfish
for the most part and make the right read and
except those guys who shoot the ball with confidence, and
our numbers are showing that guys are put into work.
And like I said, when you got guys that attract
all that attention I'm in as well. Getting downhill, somebody's
gonna be left open and they're taking that gamble and
(01:13):
we're making them pay.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Right now, you are well north of forty from three,
number one in the association at least last night in
the numbers. Look, that's just hard work. Is that also
good looks? Not having a hand in the face the
extra pass? What do you attribute and hopefully it lasts
for a long time. But the rapid increase in the
amount of success from three point range so far this year.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah, all the above. Like I said, when you have
guys that you know they're going to score, if you
don't put two three bodies on them, they're gonna leave
guys open and try to make we do the same thing.
We double guys and we'll live with certain shots. But
our guys will putting a ton of work this offseason
understanding who they're playing with. And so for us, it's
just keep it simple. Make make the easy pass and
(01:56):
we'll get those wide open looks. And once you continue
to knock those down, that the guard one on one
and then our stars can get loose.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
And what about the offense obviously has been one of
the best in the league, but I think it can
get even better, especially with respects to the turnovers that
were better last night. How do you go about improving
that with a roster that doesn't have a ton of
great ball handling, has some good ball handling, but some
guys who can be a little bit prone to turn
the ball over.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yes, it's like we said, keep it simple, don't over penetrate.
Excuse me, don't over penetrate. Just make the simple pass.
You know, we saw what the effect it had on
this opening night. Way too many turnovers against Okase. We've
tried to prove on since then. You know, the last
game against Dallas wasn't our best seventeen for seventeen points,
(02:42):
but ten in the first half yesterday only three in
the second half. So we made a point emphasis and
guys really took care of the ball, made simple play
and let the other guys be recipients.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Like I said I was, Let's get into Kogie a
little bit. I love him so far in terms of
just doing a little bit of everything. What did he
get on your radar and what did you think about
him coming into where he was last year and what
he's been able to produce for you right now.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Well, we knew he fit into what we do really well.
You know, another tough, hard nose, versatile defender that's gonna offensive, rebound, slash,
crash and do the things that we do. You know.
Obviously the three point shot had been a little up
and down this career so far. But like I said,
when you're getting these open looks and and our guys
are putting in the work and we're letting them know,
(03:25):
take these shots, they're the right shot, don't pass them up.
And then we obviously are really good at offensive rebounding.
So for us, it was great. It was a late
pickup and our last last signing and free agency, and
with the injury Saidorian and Jay Shawn coming into season,
we knew we needed another defender, another body until guys
were healthy. And obviously he's been a pleasant surprise. But
(03:48):
the work he's put in and you know, to be
a late signing, and in addition that was kind of
there for depth. We love his versatility, brings another defender
so our men can take a little bit of a
break at times. And he was like I said, that
he's making guys pay when they double off of an
out and.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Kevin ROCKETEC coach Imandoka was here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
We know Kevin Durant and Alprin, Shangunam and Thompson getting
a lot of the headlines, but I feel like Jabari
Smith Junr. Has been and can continue to be a
real X factor for you guys with what he does
defensively shooting thirty nine percent from three as well. Just
your thoughts overall on on how much he can impact
(04:25):
and raise the level of you guys game on both
ends of the floor.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, I mean, we've talked about it since I've been here.
We need our young guys to take these tip to
take these jumps and him, I'm in they'll They've all
done that Tari as well. We need reading all our
guys to continue to grow. And so you know, we
said it with with Fred and Dylan and the events
that we brought in from day one and now Kevin.
You know, they're going to do what they do and
(04:48):
add to the team, but we want our biggest growth
will be from our young guys taking these jumps, and
so Jabari has obviously done that with his body confidence, aggressiveness.
He saw that, you know, I saw a month after
after the season last year, he had booked up already.
He got strong, put in the work, and you know,
once again, if you have these really good players, you're
gonna have lesser defenders on your times and you got
(05:11):
to win those matchups. And then his versatility on defense
allows us to do so much. You know, he's guarding
anybody from twos the fives on given nights and switching
on the ones, and so the length and size that
we have and he's a huge part of what we do.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Speaking of wanting to see some improvement from some young guys,
read Shepherd. How do you assess his season so far?
Early on both good and bad.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, he continued to be to be confident and aggressive,
and that's the main thing with him. We've said that
from day one is know what you're out there for.
You're going to play off these guys, and you're one
of the best shooters in the league, So don't pass
the shots. Take those shots, and be aggressive on the
defensive ends. Continue to put him in situations where he's
gonna have to grow and improve. And so we're not
scheming up anything to hide him or anything like that.
(05:55):
He's guarden guys. We're switching on the John rant one night,
We're switching on to the Cooper flag one night. And
he needs this in game experience to improve on that area.
And so our thing is, you know, he has really
good hands, and sometimes he lets guys go to to
get those reaches and gambles who wanted to move feet
a little bit and and take on those challenges. And so,
you know, a few games into the season so far,
(06:15):
he's improved, and we're going to need the shooting, his
ball handling, you know, his secondary point guard for us
out there, and and with the amount of you know,
he played forty seven games last year, so he's still
getting it, getting the experience under his belt, and every
game is on and experience for him.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
For let you're running man, we got san Antonio tomorrow night.
Have you as a coach philosophically changed your ideology about
guarding Wemby today? Then maybe you did when he was
a rookie a couple of years back.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
No, no, really, we've done what we're going to do,
what we've done before, and then at times, you know,
we had a really good defender for those type of guys.
Dylan Birks was, you know, we put him on him
and cat and you know, all the all the stretch
forwards and fives that take advantage of bigger guys, and
so we have a lot of a lot of smaller,
tough defenders that we can throw at him and then
(07:08):
have some length and size behind it. And so you know,
he's shot the three now as consistent as he is now,
but he's doing some of the same things at a
higher level now, So we still want to be aggressive
and be physical with them. Put guys on the neck
and climbing to him, take away his airspace and force
him to help. And so we've had success doing that
so far.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Is it overly simplicit to say try to get him
outside of that comfort zone, get him beyond fifteen seventeen
feet or is that just mean other other ideologies behind that.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
No, I mean he brings the ball and be shooting
some d three, so you can't just guard him in
those areas, although we do want to be physical in
those spots. You know, he's all over the court doing
so many different things, handling, setting screens, rolling to the basket, popping,
so he's obviously a very complete player. So I have
to have somebody that can match up to him in
all different areas on the court, and like I said,
(08:01):
send him to certain help. And then obviously got to
keep them off the glass with the size
Is the mac Thomas Show with Ross. Last night, Memphis
Rockets pick up another victory, five in a row, knocking
off the Grizzlies. Talk about it for ten minutes here
on the radio program. He's the head coach of your
Houston Rockets. I may Adoka here on the program. Uh
Emate's Matt ROSSA good morning to you, coach.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I didn't have Josha Koge three straight threes on my
Bengo car from last night? Did you have that on
your card?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
With the attention that our brand and Kevin tract, somebody's
gonna get open looks and he was the recipient obviously,
was confident knocking down.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
It's really good to have it. We were talking about
in the first hour doubling Houston Rocket players right now,
it's a pretty risky situation for opponents, would you agree.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, We're we're getting to our spacing. Guys are our
outlets are there, and uh, guys are gonna be unselfish
for the most part and make the right read and
except those guys who shoot the ball with confidence, and
our numbers are showing that guys are put into work.
And like I said, when you got guys that attract
all that attention I'm in as well. Getting downhill, somebody's
gonna be left open and they're taking that gamble and
(01:13):
we're making them pay.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Right now, you are well north of forty from three,
number one in the association at least last night in
the numbers. Look, that's just hard work. Is that also
good looks? Not having a hand in the face the
extra pass? What do you attribute and hopefully it lasts
for a long time. But the rapid increase in the
amount of success from three point range so far this year.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah, all the above. Like I said, when you have
guys that you know they're going to score, if you
don't put two three bodies on them, they're gonna leave
guys open and try to make we do the same thing.
We double guys and we'll live with certain shots. But
our guys will putting a ton of work this offseason
understanding who they're playing with. And so for us, it's
just keep it simple. Make make the easy pass and
(01:56):
we'll get those wide open looks. And once you continue
to knock those down, that the guard one on one
and then our stars can get loose.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
And what about the offense obviously has been one of
the best in the league, but I think it can
get even better, especially with respects to the turnovers that
were better last night. How do you go about improving
that with a roster that doesn't have a ton of
great ball handling, has some good ball handling, but some
guys who can be a little bit prone to turn
the ball over.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yes, it's like we said, keep it simple, don't over penetrate.
Excuse me, don't over penetrate. Just make the simple pass.
You know, we saw what the effect it had on
this opening night. Way too many turnovers against Okase. We've
tried to prove on since then. You know, the last
game against Dallas wasn't our best seventeen for seventeen points,
(02:42):
but ten in the first half yesterday only three in
the second half. So we made a point emphasis and
guys really took care of the ball, made simple play
and let the other guys be recipients.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Like I said I was, Let's get into Kogie a
little bit. I love him so far in terms of
just doing a little bit of everything. What did he
get on your radar and what did you think about
him coming into where he was last year and what
he's been able to produce for you right now.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Well, we knew he fit into what we do really well.
You know, another tough, hard nose, versatile defender that's gonna offensive, rebound, slash,
crash and do the things that we do. You know.
Obviously the three point shot had been a little up
and down this career so far. But like I said,
when you're getting these open looks and and our guys
are putting in the work and we're letting them know,
(03:25):
take these shots, they're the right shot, don't pass them up.
And then we obviously are really good at offensive rebounding.
So for us, it was great. It was a late
pickup and our last last signing and free agency, and
with the injury Saidorian and Jay Shawn coming into season,
we knew we needed another defender, another body until guys
were healthy. And obviously he's been a pleasant surprise. But
(03:48):
the work he's put in and you know, to be
a late signing, and in addition that was kind of
there for depth. We love his versatility, brings another defender
so our men can take a little bit of a
break at times. And he was like I said, that
he's making guys pay when they double off of an
out and.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Kevin ROCKETEC coach Imandoka was here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
We know Kevin Durant and Alprin, Shangunam and Thompson getting
a lot of the headlines, but I feel like Jabari
Smith Junr. Has been and can continue to be a
real X factor for you guys with what he does
defensively shooting thirty nine percent from three as well. Just
your thoughts overall on on how much he can impact
(04:25):
and raise the level of you guys game on both
ends of the floor.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, I mean, we've talked about it since I've been here.
We need our young guys to take these tip to
take these jumps and him, I'm in they'll They've all
done that Tari as well. We need reading all our
guys to continue to grow. And so you know, we
said it with with Fred and Dylan and the events
that we brought in from day one and now Kevin.
You know, they're going to do what they do and
(04:48):
add to the team, but we want our biggest growth
will be from our young guys taking these jumps, and
so Jabari has obviously done that with his body confidence, aggressiveness.
He saw that, you know, I saw a month after
after the season last year, he had booked up already.
He got strong, put in the work, and you know,
once again, if you have these really good players, you're
gonna have lesser defenders on your times and you got
(05:11):
to win those matchups. And then his versatility on defense
allows us to do so much. You know, he's guarding
anybody from twos the fives on given nights and switching
on the ones, and so the length and size that
we have and he's a huge part of what we do.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Speaking of wanting to see some improvement from some young guys,
read Shepherd. How do you assess his season so far?
Early on both good and bad.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, he continued to be to be confident and aggressive,
and that's the main thing with him. We've said that
from day one is know what you're out there for.
You're going to play off these guys, and you're one
of the best shooters in the league, So don't pass
the shots. Take those shots, and be aggressive on the
defensive ends. Continue to put him in situations where he's
gonna have to grow and improve. And so we're not
scheming up anything to hide him or anything like that.
(05:55):
He's guarden guys. We're switching on the John rant one night,
We're switching on to the Cooper flag one night. And
he needs this in game experience to improve on that area.
And so our thing is, you know, he has really
good hands, and sometimes he lets guys go to to
get those reaches and gambles who wanted to move feet
a little bit and and take on those challenges. And so,
you know, a few games into the season so far,
(06:15):
he's improved, and we're going to need the shooting, his
ball handling, you know, his secondary point guard for us
out there, and and with the amount of you know,
he played forty seven games last year, so he's still
getting it, getting the experience under his belt, and every
game is on and experience for him.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
For let you're running man, we got san Antonio tomorrow night.
Have you as a coach philosophically changed your ideology about
guarding Wemby today? Then maybe you did when he was
a rookie a couple of years back.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
No, no, really, we've done what we're going to do,
what we've done before, and then at times, you know,
we had a really good defender for those type of guys.
Dylan Birks was, you know, we put him on him
and cat and you know, all the all the stretch
forwards and fives that take advantage of bigger guys, and
so we have a lot of a lot of smaller,
tough defenders that we can throw at him and then
(07:08):
have some length and size behind it. And so you know,
he's shot the three now as consistent as he is now,
but he's doing some of the same things at a
higher level now, So we still want to be aggressive
and be physical with them. Put guys on the neck
and climbing to him, take away his airspace and force
him to help. And so we've had success doing that
so far.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Is it overly simplicit to say try to get him
outside of that comfort zone, get him beyond fifteen seventeen
feet or is that just mean other other ideologies behind that.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
No, I mean he brings the ball and be shooting
some d three, so you can't just guard him in
those areas, although we do want to be physical in
those spots. You know, he's all over the court doing
so many different things, handling, setting screens, rolling to the basket, popping,
so he's obviously a very complete player. So I have
to have somebody that can match up to him in
all different areas on the court, and like I said,
(08:01):
send him to certain help. And then obviously got to
keep them off the glass with the size
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