Ime Udoka has been one of the league’s best coaches since initially taking over as Boston Celtics head coach in 2021.

Udoka’s transparent style of communication resonates with players. It provides clarity.

And he vouches for his players and rides for his guys. If they get a technical foul here and there, he’s going to defend them, regardless of the deed.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta was drawn to Udoka, who is a defensive specialist and player’s coach. He’s not known to be an offensive mind.

This season, the Rockets rank second in offensive efficiency and sixth in defensive efficiency. 

Udoka has been forced to make some modifications and tweaks this season, due to injury. 

Such is life for a head coach, in any sport, but it’s especially been Udoka’s fate.

Fred VanVleet, the team’s point guard and sheer leader and/or captain, who Udoka values and covets, went down with a season-ending ACL tear.

(Well, that’s generally a season-ending injury, but VanVleet vows to return to the Rockets this year).

Amen Thompson was immediately moved to the lead guard spot. For most of the season (at least the early slate), Houston boasted the league’s top offense.

Even now, they rank second.

Thompson, however, is clearly better suited on the wing.

Udoka has had Alperen Sengun utilized as the Rockets fulcrum offensively, especially in the half court. This clearly presented Houston’s best opportunity for having a formidable offensive attack.

The addition of Kevin Durant has certainly helped. Adding Durant to any team would yield offensive improvements.

He’s one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen. Quite literally, he’s a walking 25-point per game scorer on 60 percent true shooting.

The Rockets’ current record is 13-5, which currently ranks third in the Western Conference.

According to The Ringer’s Michael Pina, Rockets coach Ime Udoka could garner Coach of the Year votes, once again stamping him as one of the better coaches.

Udoka’s work with the Rockets has easily been his best thus far throughout his career. Granted, there’s only one other team to compare this situation to, with the Boston Celtics, who he led to the NBA Finals in his only season at the helm.

But the Rockets were a consistent 20-win team prior to Udoka’s arrival and went 41-41 in his first season in Houston, juts narrowly missing the play-in tournament. In his second season, the Rockets finished with the second seed in the Western Conference.

With essentially the same roster as his predecessor. The Rockets’ finish over the next 64 games, in addition to other teams’ finish throughout the rest of the way will determine the Coach of the Year race. But there’s no debate that Udoka should garner consideration.

Even if it’s too early to predict how the award race will go.