The Rockets' rookie was hidden again, and Udoka was too paranoid in his employment
After losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on the road, the Rockets have lost three games in a row, and in the position of the East, the Rockets have been declining in the rankings, and are now in tenth place in the West, their win rate has dropped to 50%, if they lose this victory, then they are likely to lose the chance to enter the top ten, the absence of Jabari Smith and Dillon Brooks has made the Rockets look a little nervous in terms of staffing, but unfortunately, the Rockets' coach Yudoka still lacks confidence in these young people.
The Rockets lost to the 76ers in this game, mainly because their defense was not good enough, and most of the ball was grabbed by VanVleet, Alperen Shenjing, and Jalen Green, other than that, the rest of the Rockets did not have any outstanding performances, and VanVleet and Jalen Green both scored 30+But compared to a team like the 76ers, their scoring efficiency is too low, especially against the 76ers, no one can step up at all, which led to the loss of the Rockets.
In fact, the Rockets already had an absolute advantage in the third quarter, as long as there were a few more offensive players, maybe the Rockets didn't need to play until the last moment to win this game. In the nine-man rotation, Udoka gave Langdale too much support, but once again put 19-year-old newcomer Whitmore on the bench.
Without Dillon and Smith, the Rockets' offense and defense have been lowered by a level, and at this time, Whitmore will be on the court, and the Rockets' advantage in three points will not be so great. Whitmore's defense is also in the upper middle level, and his physical strength is enough to compete with the opponent's forward midfielders and big men in the box, but unfortunately, Rockets head coach Udoka simply didn't want Whitmore to play at all, and didn't let Whitmore play even a minute.
In the last game between the Rockets and Phoenix, Whitmore was selected as a starter for the first time this season, scoring 12 points on 3-of-4 from 3 in 18 minutes, becoming the scoring champion on the Rockets' bench. The Rockets' Udoka just likes to use veterans rather than young people, which makes the Rockets lose the chance to win the championship.
If Whitmore can replace Landale in this game, the Rockets won't lose. Although Udoka has led the Rockets to new heights and the team's defense has reached the best level in the world, the generalissimo has shown an almost paranoid obsession with the Rockets' young players. Now that he has an experienced veteran, he will definitely not let a rookie play, even if the two cores are injured, it does not give Whitmore, who scored 12 points in the last round, the slightest chance, which is also where he must improve.