For Udoka, talent already exists in Houston, but not effort and toughness.
Ime Udoka is convinced that the Houston Rockets have the talent to win it all, but effort remains a critical element that excludes the team from any other top powerhouses in the league.
Houston Rockets / Schedule
"We have the talent no doubt. It's identity, mentality, toughness, dog, all of that is missing right now," Udoka told reporters as he was asked if he felt his Houston team had the top-tier talent to compete against several legit contenders in the West (via Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle).
"We'll see if we can get it back by the end of the season."
The Rockets endured another significant loss against a rival team in the West on Sunday, taking a brutal 145-120 loss against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Beyond the Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and the Denver Nuggets (Nikola Jokic) are two other teams in the West that boast elite superstar talent. But upon the latest loss in San Antonio, the Rockets have dropped to 3-7 against these three teams combined.
The Rockets are currently fourth in the West with a 39-24 record, but a few losses could drop them to the Play-In Tournament. They are just 2.5 games away from the seventh seed.
Right now, the Rockets are steadfast about continuing to improve and addressing their lapses at this critical stage of the season.
“I’m not thinking like that right now,” Kevin Durant said when asked how his team stacks up against the heavyweights of the West. “Every day matters. The next opponent matters.
"We can’t spend our time thinking about if we match up with teams or not. We just gotta focus on who we are.”
Like what we are doing? Support us by becoming BN+ member.
If you like our content, please click here and add us as your preferred source. It helps us a lot, and we are committed to delivering you the very latest basketball news.