Basketball Hall of Famer Mike D’Antoni had a storied chapter as head coach of the Houston Rockets. Some highlights from D’Antoni’s four-year stint in Houston include being named the 2017 NBA Coach of the Year and coaching the franchise to a 65-17 regular season record in 2018. 

Following his departure from the Rockets in 2020, the franchise dipped to the bottom of the Western Conference standings for multiple seasons. After taking time to rebuild, the core of Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson have fronted the next era of playoff basketball in Houston. 

In an exclusive interview with Houston Rockets On SI, D’Antoni discussed the current state of the Rockets and whether he would consider a return to NBA coaching. Our conversation has been edited for length, clarity, and grammar.

Eric Jay Santos: From a coaching standpoint, do you think the current Rockets lineup would fit into your scheme? 

Mike D’Antoni: It’s up to me to change my scheme to fit them. It doesn’t really matter if they fit me or not. I think every coach needs to see what they are working with and then develop aspects that would enhance the players that they have.

I went from Phoenix, where there was a lot of fast ball movement and speed, to James Harden in Houston, who was a little bit slower and more one-on-one. You adapt to the talents of your players.

Houston would be a great team to coach [right now], and I’m sure that Ime Udoka does a great job. It must be fun with the defensive elements and shooting that he has. He’s got a lot of weapons.

Eric Jay Santos: You’ve developed multiple MVP award winners over the years. Looking toward the future, who should be the first option between Durant, Sengun, and Thompson? 

Mike D’Antoni: I’d have to be there every day. You probably can’t make a bad choice. Most of the time, it’s not like the coach picks who is the first option. You set up a system where the ball movement and the opposing defense will lead to the option. It’s not like, ‘Okay, we’re going to him no matter what.’

Usually, the ball flies around, finds a weak spot in the defense, and then that player will take advantage of it. Everybody’s the number one option. Everybody has the ability to be able to score, pass, and move. That’s when it’s the best. When you single out a person and it’s constantly them, it gets kind of bogged down. It’s easier for the opposing defense to load up.

Eric Jay Santos: If the opportunity presented itself, would you consider returning to the NBA in a coaching role?

Mike D’Antoni: I don’t know. You hate to say, ‘No, never,’ and then you do it, or ‘Yeah, for sure’. I don’t realistically think that’s going to happen, so I don’t worry about it. I go play golf.

Does coaching still excite me? Sure it does. I think I’ll take that to the grave. It’s a very demanding and very rewarding career. If anybody gets into it, it’s hard. I’m not recommending it or discouraging it, but for me it worked out perfect.

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