New Ime Udoka Hot Seat Rumors After Rockets' NBA Playoffs Series Loss to Lakers

Despite a second consecutive first-round playoff exit, Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka is reportedly not believed to be on the hot seat.

According to William Guillory and Sam Amick of The Athletic, most league observers feel the "lucrative multiyear extension" Udoka signed last summer will "shield him from being fired."

Each of the past two seasons have seen the Rockets go 52-30 before getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Houston fell behind the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0 this year, and although it battled back by winning the next two games, L.A. closed the series out Friday with a 98-78 win in Game 6.

Lakers-Rockets Highlights

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When Udoka arrived in Houston in 2023, the Rockets were among the worst teams in the NBA, winning between 17 and 22 games each season from 2021 to 2023.

However, Udoka helped lead an immediate turnaround, as the Rockets went 41-41 in his first season at the helm, marking a 19-game improvement from the previous year.

Young talent like Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson played a big role in the development, and it took another step forward the following year with a 52-30 record and the team's first playoff berth since 2020.

However, after falling in seven games to the veteran-laden Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Rockets' front office seemingly believed it needed to add an established star of its own.

Houston did precisely that by sending Green, Dillon Brooks and a first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Durant, who is regarded as one of the best offensive players in NBA history.

The 37-year-old Durant appeared in his most game (78) since the 2018-19 season and led the Rockets with 26.0 points per game, but it didn't result in the Rockets making it any further in the postseason.

As noted by Guillory and Amick, though, Udoka still got his team to perform well in his area of expertise, which is defense.

Even with the loss of their best defensive player in Brooks, the Rockets ranked sixth in the NBA in defensive rating after finishing fifth last season.

Durant missed five of the Rockets' six playoff games against the Lakers, so it is fair to wonder if things may have been different if KD was healthy.

Because of that, it seems likely that Udoka will be given every opportunity to take another crack at it next year with the supremely talented roster the front office has assembled.