And how does that parlay with a player like Amen Thompson? Do you immediately see how you can positively impact his outside shot? Or is it more of a gradual work in progress and you focus on amplifying other areas he’s shown? Amen’s gonna work. He’s going to work on all areas of his game. He’s a very good player, a very talented player and is also very young. And he’s got a lot of areas similar to a lot of the young guys in the league where he’s got to work on that. And he’s got to work on all the areas of his game — offensively, defensively, as a point guard knowing the sets, running the team, guarding, executing the defensive coverages. There’s a whole list of things that guys have to improve at and shooting’s part of that for him. It’s something he’ll work and improve on, but that goes in the group of all the other things as well and you work on all of those things at once. The goal is for him to be the best version of himself that he can be. And that’s the plan going forward, to help him grow in all areas of his game and shooting is a part of that. Did you learn things about your own coaching style during the past few weeks that you perhaps weren’t privy to prior? Well, this is the second year that I’ve done it in a row. I’ve learned that I love doing it. It was a lot of fun and it’s a totally different job than being an assistant. I learn something new each time and that’s the benefit, the joy of getting to do that — you get the reps doing that type of job and it’s immensely valuable. And also it makes you appreciate the head coach’s job during the season and it helps you to become a better assistant coach, because you understand the things they’re thinking about and they’re weighing and they’re deciding. That helps you with what you’re suggesting and seeing, and hopefully makes you better and more aware of how to help a head coach during a game, in between games or in practice. So it provides valuable insight for yourself going forward and also so you can be a better assistant coach. Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason looked like well-oiled machines in the games they played. How much did you lean on those guys in practice as teaching tools for the rookies and other players? Jabari and Tari were great leaders for us. They worked hard, they tried to execute everything, they were unselfish, they competed, they guarded. They did everything that we asked them to do and they did a pretty high level. And you can tell when it’s a second-year guy over a first-year guy (because) the concepts of what we’re trying to do and the NBA game isn’t entirely new to them. So they’re able to pick up things a little bit quicker, able to do a little bit more on the fly. Definitely leaned on them to lead us in that way of what we were trying to do. At the same time, those two also have development of their own to do. How much do you take from their performances as jumping-off points for their second season? Anytime you can go out and have success that only helps you, right? It’s a confidence builder, it’s a momentum builder. You’d have to ask them in terms of how much they feel like it helped them. But from what I saw, I saw them grow from day one in camp to day two, three to Vegas, from game one to game two. I saw them get better and improve and it also gave the coaching staff and the organization insights on other areas that they need to get better at. They’re only second-year guys so they have stuff they want to improve on. That’s one of the benefits of doing this, it gives you more information to work with. But really excited with what we saw from them and what they were able to do out on the court from a performance perspective. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more from them. What does the incorporation process of newcomers Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks look like? A veteran point guard and versatile, switchable defender were badly missing from this core last season. Well first of all, they’re great guys and them being around and starting to build those relationships with the other guys, that’s huge. Obviously, they’re great players so what they can do on the court is great and blending that in with the guys that are already on the roster and seeing what that looks like. They’re established players. Fred’s been a great player in this league for a long time. We’re looking forward to having him with us and seeing what that looks like and what Dillon brings on both sides of the ball, his competitiveness. They’re both huge competitors. And that element we’re really excited about bringing that to the team. In terms of how you see 3-point shooting, the evolution of the game and spacing, what’s been your approach to all of those factors as it relates to this new team? I don’t want to speak for other people but just in general, the whole goal of offense is to generate good shots, generate good looks for guys that they’re comfortable with and making. And it’s not just 3-point shots. You gotta generate shots at the rim, you gotta get to the free throw line and then you want to generate good quality 3-point looks. Game to game might dictate how many there are. Is there a certain number that we’re trying to get to? I don’t think so. But, you know, there’s become sort of a baseline in the NBA that to have an efficient offense, you have to get to a certain number of attempts and make a certain amount. Three-point shooting is something that we like, it’s something that is valuable to us. Adding guys like Fred to that mix with what he brings from the 3-point line is exciting. Three-point shooting is just part of the NBA now so you have to take a certain amount for sure. But just taking 3s to say you’re only taking 3s, I don’t think it’s strict like that. And part of that, too, is like we still have players that are growing their games and what they’re able to do. We’re going to have to see what they’ll look like in the gym, get our hands on them working together. And that stuff will happen more organically.
Salman Ali: -@espn_macmahon doesn’t believe Stephen Silas had much control -By contrast, Ime Udoka is being empowered to do whatever he pleases -Udoka may be the most powerful non-Fertitta in the organization -MacMahon confirms the Rockets desire to reunite with James Harden cooled right after Udoka was hired
From controlling Silas like a puppet to a 180 in treating Udoka like Superman Organizational chaos and dysfunction
Hasn’t coached a game for us but I love the fact he stood up and put to bed the reunion with Harden. Ime has already made a significant contribution to the franchise! Well done! The future is looking bright. In fairness to Silas, he did get the raw end of the deal with the tank for Wembanyama. Hopefully his contract was guaranteed in the same form these players are and that he was compensated for this crap show last year.
I said it before. If I were Silas, I would quit when I realized that I was just their fall guy for tanking. Any coach with an ounce of self-respect would have done that. Why would you let your reputation be tainted for something in the future you knew you would not be a part of? It's not like he would get another head coaching job after this any time soon. He would have to prove himself all over again through the assistant ranks.
This is great to hear. Udoka has more basketball knowledge in his little pinky than anyone in this organization so the power dynamics are finally in the right hands.
Seems weird that they think Stone had no say in this......dude executed the most moves and tried to hijack practice sessions.
Udoka should be at Church / Mosque and not attending Drug Lords Weddings. Already off to a horrible start.
