Ime Udoka on return to Boston, Alperen Sengun’s play this season

Ime Udoka on return to Boston, Alperen Sengun’s play this season

I think a little bit but um we were trying some different coverages and things that we haven’t worked on a ton and um that can take some energy as well to to execute those and so um they shot it well in the first half and we were in

Kind of in scramble mode a lot of times and so that’s going to take some extra energy but yeah you could say a little bit of that but uh you know didn’t love our competitiveness when we came out in the third quarter and you got to be better than that

Obviously down 10 or 12 at halftime still in Striking range and got ugly pretty quick from there what allowed Jaylen to get call in the third quarter the way he did Jaylen um I think they just we we turned it over some they got

Out on the break and I think just like I said our lack of you know competitive competitiveness at times I said that to the group is like there can be schemes there can be coverages and things like that and where you just got to guard and start with the competitiveness and

Effort and so um us not getting matched up let tur the ball over a little bit and them getting out and get some easy breaks but um I think we did a better job showing them bodies in the first half and like I said it got ugly pretty

Quickly in the third quarter how do you think Dylan looked his first game back it was good I’m happy with how he looked and it was good to knock the rust off and get ready for the rest of this road trip and um you know wanted to play him

Extended minutes a little bit even when it got out of hand and just to get just getting ready for the Philly in New York game what were the coverage tweaks that you talked about Just sh more of a crow for Jason more bodies on Jason and

Jaylen early um you know of for Z just mixing in pops and rolls we can kind of rotate from there I think our rotation were really slow in the first half and like I said it take does take a lot more effort to do that and um but our

Rotations were slow behind it and allowed them to get some some early threes off the threes allow have been trending up for a little while not to this degree but is there something that you’re seeing that isn’t the way it was earlier or that has led to this kind of

Change yeah no Dylan no tar so what do you do you got one back but get everybody fix yeah I mean that’s a big part of it and there two of our you know leite Defenders but in general there has been some slippage I think with um us pursuing and getting over the

Top which we did an excellent job of early and then alurn you know bringing him up to the level and he was really good at the start of the season and that dissipates little by little so we got to continue to when we can practice that

And remind guys cuz you know young guys tend to slip back into some old habits and so um the practice time is good the film sessions are good but we got to execute it when game time comes speaking of Shun in a bigger picture sense what

Did you know of him or think of him before you got to Houston what has he shown you over the first two or three months of the season I know he’s a skilled big that um can do a lot of different things passing wise U scoring from different places initiating offense

Um got to learn a little bit more when I dug in to the process of interview process and watched him a lot more and so I’m extremely happy with how he’s been and like I said he had a big jump on the defensive end to start the season

But offensively he’s kind of what I thought he was and um I would say one of the Premier low post scores in the league and surprising with some of the things he can do in the the amount of times he has in advantage on a night to

Night basis so very happy with how he’s been all year let’s to about some of the new elements on the south like for and against holid the way they’re able to enhance you know what they do on the other side yeah I mean he fits into what

They’re trying to do on the offensive end uh you know he’s uh somewhat of a deter down there I mean from the size perspective I think you can get into his body a little bit there and so um I think he’s trying to buy into the

Defense and being an anchor there but um obviously fits into what they’re doing offensively and with the spacing and shooting ability what was the experience like coaching against you know your former team and you know so many of the guys that you know you coach for jayen

Jason just trying to slow that group yeah I mean it’s it’s what I saw for a year anyway the way they you know are talented and can score and play um I didn’t love our physicality and understanding um how we made them a little bit too comfortable and a lot of

Those walk-in shots were just uncontested and so knowing that you want to try to break their Rhythm be a little more physical with them um I would loved for people to guard them the way we guard them tonight when I was here are you glad are you glad this game is over

With it doesn’t matter me at all matter and is there any advantage you face him again next Sunday uh will this use as motivation or will you do some mix some different things up yeah I think it will be some I know you know just having guys

Back um you know we’ll see about tar but even Dylan back and a little more comfortable and in the Rhythm himself but um it was a tough one coming off the Detroit game playing guys 40 minutes you know we had to fight and scrap for that one and when you’re playing Fred and

Certain guys that many you know it’s going to be a little you’re going to be a little more tired um tonight so although we have them on the second night of a back toback as well when they come to Houston um should be a little more fresher with with the days off

Leading into it Jay is chasing the ball out of bounds he he runs into you kind of gives you a hug what was that like you know what was what was the on court kind of banter you do talk on on the court yeah no since guys like I said

It’s not my first time seeing them you know we we around each other everybody’s in LA in the summer and and like I mentioned the weddings and this and that but I was just catching them honestly more than a hug he’s strong guy you mentioned that there wasn’t time to put

In the defensive adjustments you wanted you got another game in like 36 hours is it appropriate have a schedule with a back to back followed by a day here I mean it’s tough obviously and everybody has to go through it they just went through it with the overtime game

Against Minnesota had to go to Milwaukee so you know we had a lighter schedule with a lot of days off where we could get practice time in early in the season and now it’s kind of catching up to us as far as you know three and four nights

In the back Tob backs but um it is what it is everybody goes through it I think it kind of balances out and um for us it’s you know it’s getting a full day of rest 36 hours or whatever and kind of getting back on track um I think Fred

And certain guys will feel better you know you know it it was a tough turnaround from yesterday and at times you think about wrestling guys and looking a big picture but they’re very competitive group that they all want to play when you say a lack of competitiveness or a lack of physicality

How do you address and kind of fix those things you know going forward going into the next game yeah it’s understanding personnel and game plan we we dig in heavily to personnel and and we we say certain guys need space or want this Rhythm and this and that and then we’re

Doing the opposite and falling under the three-point line on guys that shoot a lot of three-pointers is you know lack of attention to detail and just physicality that we need to have on a night to night basis which is what got us to where we were early in the season thanks thank you

Thank

Houston Rockets Fan Information Source

Ime Udoka talks to the media after the Houston Rockets lost in blowout fashion to the Boston Celtics on 1/13/2024. This was Udoka’s first game back in Boston since he was the coach there. Udoka talked about the defensive impact they’ve been missing without Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason. He also talked about being happy with Alperen Sengun this season.