Ime Udoka and Joe Mazzulla may be working in different conferences, but the way their teams are built has a familiar echo.
Joe Mazzulla has been so successful since taking over the Boston Celtics that it’s easy to lose sight of how he got there: he replaced Ime Udoka after the scandal that hit just before training camp in 2022. Since then, Mazzulla has gone from successor to standout, winning NBA Coach of the Year and putting his own stamp on Boston’s identity with a style of play that’s been labeled “Mazzulla Ball.”
What’s striking now is that Udoka appears to be building something similar in Houston.
The Rockets had a rough season, but the picture was never as simple as the record. Injuries played a major role, and with key pieces expected back plus the arrival of Marcus Smart, Houston looks ready to lean into a system that feels awfully familiar to what Mazzulla uses in Boston.
One of the clearest overlaps is on the glass. Houston’s first matchup with Boston last season turned into a blowout win for the Rockets at home, and that game helped expose one of the pillars of Mazzulla Ball: offensive rebounding. Boston later answered with a win of its own in Houston, even without Jaylen Brown, but the Rockets had already shown how damaging second-chance opportunities can be when they’re on.
That edge starts with Steven Adams. He wasn’t the headliner, but he was a huge reason Houston overpowered Boston in that first meeting.
Adams has long been one of the league’s best offensive rebounders, and once he went down with a season-ending injury, Boston got its revenge. Now that he’s healthy again, Houston can put that strength back to work and chase extra possessions in the same way Boston wants to do with Neemias Queta, Mitchell Robinson, and Luka Garza.
The Rockets also get back another important piece in Fred VanVleet. Before the season even began, Houston took a major hit when VanVleet suffered a torn ACL.
Losing him was compared to Boston losing Derrick White, and for good reason. VanVleet brings three-point shooting, ball security with a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, and surprisingly strong defense for his size.
His absence derailed Houston’s season, and Adams’ injury only made the damage worse.
Now Houston has a chance to recover that glue and layer in another disruptive defender with Smart. Even if he’s not prime Smart anymore, he still made an impact with the Lakers last season and remains the kind of defender who can force mistakes.
Put him next to Amen Thompson, one of the NBA’s best defenders, and the Rockets suddenly have real turnover pressure. Add in VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., and Jae’Sean Tate, among others, and the defensive pieces start to look dangerous.
Then there’s the shooting. Houston has plenty of plus three-point threats, led by Kevin Durant, VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Tari Eason.
Stack it all together, and Houston has the ingredients for a roster that fits the Mazzulla Ball mold almost too well. The offensive rebounding, the spacing, the ball security, the disruptive defense - it all lines up.
That’s what makes Udoka and Mazzulla feel like coaching kindred spirits. If things come together the way they look like they can, Boston and Houston could end up being two of the league’s best teams for the same reason.
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