Rockets Rumors: Jalen Green 'to Be Pushed and Held Accountable' in Udoka's Rebuild

The Houston Rockets are ready to enter a new phase of their rebuild following the arrival of head coach Ime Udoka. That will come with higher expectations for the rest of the organization, especially young stars like Jalen Green.

Udoka, 45, led the Boston Celtics to an appearance in the NBA Finals in his first season at the helm in 2021-22. However, the Celtics gave him a yearlong suspension in September for "multiple violations of team policies," including an "inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization," according to Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press.

Udoka is now kicking off a new era with the Rockets, and Green, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft, will be at the heart of the team's rebuild, according to The Athletic's Kelly Iko.

Green is excited about getting the opportunity to work with Udoka, according to Iko, as he's been known to push his young stars, like he did with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston.

Udoka's demanding coaching style is exactly what the organization wants for Green. The Rockets told the 21-year-old that he was "going to be pushed and held accountable" as they look to make a jump next season.

Green posted career highs across the board in his second NBA season, scoring 22.1 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. However, Houston finished tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the second-worst record in the league at 22-60.

The organization hasn't had a winning season since the 2019-20 campaign.

During his lone season in Boston, Udoka helped lead the Celtics to a 51-31 record, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.