Udoka Sets Higher Bar for Rockets Entering New Season

Houston opened NBA media day Tuesday with a healthier roster and a coach determined to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.

The Houston Rockets began the NBA calendar on Tuesday as the league's first team to hold media day, and coach Ime Udoka made clear that another early playoff exit would not satisfy anyone in the organization. Houston followed 52-win regular seasons with first-round defeats in each of the past two years. "We're not here to just make the first round, we want to make some real noise," Udoka said.

A brighter mood surrounded the event thanks largely to point guard Fred VanVleet, who sat out all of last season after tearing an ACL shortly before the previous media day. Udoka said VanVleet has received full medical clearance for training camp. Center Steven Adams is also back after an ankle injury requiring surgery held him to 32 games last season.

General manager Rafael Stone said he enters this season with more confidence than a year ago, when VanVleet's injury arrived just before opening night. The club's notable offseason move was acquiring Marcus Smart, the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year, with hopes he helps Amen Thompson develop in his fourth season.

Kevin Durant, who started 78 games after a blockbuster trade from Phoenix but played only one playoff game because of an ankle injury as Houston fell to the Lakers in six, pushed back on Udoka's plan to reduce his minutes alongside Thompson's. The 16-time All-Star, who turns 38 next week, said he wants to be on the floor whenever the game demands it.

Udoka also pointed to late-game execution as a priority, noting that more than half of Houston's 30 losses came in games with double-digit leads. Stone said the combination of better health and those fixes has him optimistic as the Rockets pursue their first championship since the 1994-95 back-to-back titles.

Houston begins its preseason with two matchups against the Dallas Mavericks in Macao, China, on Oct. 9 and 11.