The Houston Rockets were 41-41 last season and No. 11 in the Western Conference standings. In 2024-25, they will finish with between 52 and 54 wins while securing the No. 2 seed.
That type of growth often leads to individual accolades in the NBA's annual awards voting, and second-year guard/forward Amen Thompson is clearly under consideration for All-Defensive First Team and even Defensive Player of the Year honors.
But based on the collective growth for the team as a whole, head coach Ime Udoka appears to be a viable option for Coach of the Year, as well.
In a recent appearance on ESPN's First Take, former NBA Carlos Boozer made the argument for Udoka's candidacy:
Ime Udoka is the Coach of the Year. Nobody’s talking about that. Everybody wants to talk about Cleveland. He (Kenny Atkinson) was gifted a team that already had All-Stars on it.
The Houston Rockets started from scratch, and they're the second seed. They play defense (rated No. 4 among the NBA's 30 teams).
Boozer also pointed to J.B. Bickerstaff, who has helped lift the Detroit Pistons from a 14-68, last-place finish last season to a 44-36 record (No. 6 in the East) this season, as a strong candidate.
Atkinson, who has taken the Cavaliers from 48-34 in 2023-24 to 63 wins and counting this season (as the No. 1 seed in the East), remains the betting favorite. Like Udoka and the Rockets, Cleveland didn't have significant roster turnover in the preceding offseason, which makes the ensuing growth a clear reflection of coaching and development.
With the Cavs atop the East and Houston second in the West, that's likely enough to make Atkinson the winner. But Udoka has clearly shown enough to where he should have a great chance to be one of three finalists for the award, likely alongside Atkinson and Bickerstaff.
The league's annual awards will be voted on by a diverse media panel shortly after Sunday's conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season. Finalists will be named in the following days, with actual winners to be announced during the 2025 NBA ...
