Ime Udoka didn’t have to dig far for an explanation when Tom Thibodeau turned up at Rockets training camp.
Houston’s head coach said Thursday that the two-time NBA Coach of the Year was simply making the rounds and stopping by a familiar place. Thibodeau, who last coached the New York Knicks before being relieved of his duties in 2025, is currently not on an NBA staff.
“Ed Pinckney worked with him and coached with him for a few years. Obviously, I’ve known Thibs for years now.
I think he’s just making the rounds and checking out some camps. Since Houston was one of his previous stops, he asked if he could come.
Obviously, I had no problem (with it).”
Thibodeau’s connection to Houston goes back to his time as an assistant with the Rockets from 2003 to 2007, when he worked under Jeff Van Gundy and the roster featured names like Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.
Now the franchise is in a very different place, with Udoka steering the next push toward an NBA championship after Houston’s latest season ended in a first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
That pursuit comes with some big roster questions, starting with how much to lean on Kevin Durant. The 37-year-old averaged 26.0 points in 36.4 minutes per game last season, and there’s already been discussion about whether those minutes should come down to help preserve him over the course of the regular season. Durant pushed back on that idea during training camp, and it would be a surprise if the Rockets tried to force the issue too aggressively if he’s against it.
Udoka also has to sort out Reed Sheppard’s place in the rotation. Sheppard put up 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field across 82 games, and he finished in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
But with Fred VanVleet expected to open as the starting point guard, Amen Thompson moving to shooting guard and Marcus Smart as a backup option, Sheppard could see his minutes dip.
Udoka has about a month left to get everything lined up for the 2026-2027 season, and Thibodeau could be back in a coaching job by then, too.
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If the Rockets are not where they expect to be when the season opens, the idea of exploring a Durant trade would stop sounding abstract in a hurry. League observers have already started sketching possible landing spots and return packages, a reminder of how fast the calculus can change around a star of his stature. For a team trying to build something bigger, the next few months may determine whether Durant is a centerpiece for the future or the beginning of an entirely different conversation. [Read more 🡒]
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Kevin Durant added another layer to that discussion by making clear he does not want his minutes reduced and wants to stay on the floor when the game calls for it. Coach Ime Udoka also left little doubt about how he views the organizations current position, saying the Rockets did not meet expectations last season and felt the group had plateaued. For a team trying to push past last years ceiling, that combination of urgency, restraint and dissatisfaction suggests the real work is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]