Ime Udoka On The Biggest Goal For The Rockets This Season: 'Being No. 1 In Offensive Rebounds'

The Houston Rockets are off to their best start through 11 games since the 2019-20 season following Monday's 107-92 victory over the Washington Wizards, improving to 7-4. The Rockets won the fourth of their last five games without Fred VanVleet, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. Amen Thompson entered the starting lineup and recorded 13 points. Tari Eason provided a spark off the bench, scoring 10 with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. When asked about his preference to playing the hot hand, head coach Ime Udoka said, "We're going to play the guys that play best... We have a ton of options, a ton of versatility." Jabari Smith Jr. has struggled offensively, especially from beyond the arc, shooting 25% so far this season. Until the shots come back around, "we want guys to stay confident," and Jabari "can still impact the game in many ways," Udoka said. VanVleet has also gotten off to a shaky start, averaging 37.9% from the field. "Until the shots do fall...We always want to rely on our defense." VanVleet is questionable for Wednesday's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, but Udoka said "he felt good today" at morning shootaround. The Rockets are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for fifth in the Western Conference and will look to maintain a winning record by working towards a big goal: "We've really stressed being number one in offensive rebounds this year," Udoka said. The Rockets are currently second in the league in total offensive rebounds.