Former Nigeria international and NBA player Olumide Oyedeji believes that head coach Ime Udoka can lead the Houston Rockets to an NBA championship within three years.
Last season, Udoka, who also played internationally for Nigeria, guided a young Rockets team to a 52-win season and the playoffs for the first time since 2020, where they clawed their way back from a 1-3 deficit before being bested in seven games by the Golden State Warriors.
“I believe they can win the Championship two, three years down the road,” Oyedeji, who played for the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic, told ESPN.
“But that depends on the changes they have with players as these changes matters a lot.
“With the core they have right now, and a couple of veteran players like they have with Kevin Durant, they can be champions with Ime leading them.”
Houston are without point guard Fred VanVleet, as he tore his ACL in preseason, had surgery in September and is projected to miss most, if not all, of the season.
Last season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game in the regular season and upped that to 18.7 points per game in the postseason. It was a loss that was felt in more than just the scoring he brought to the table.
Oyedeji believes that the Rockets should not find it hard to add some experienced veterans to cover that absence, despite losing their season opener against the Sacramento Kings and then going 0-2 in a loss to the Detroit Pistons.
“Houston is a great place where free agents want to go,” he said. “It’s a nice city, wonderful place and great atmosphere when you play at the Toyota Arena. They should not find it too hard to get a point guard to fill that hole.
“I’m sure the other players are more knowledgeable now, more experienced now about the playoffs.”
Beyond the players however, Oyedeji believes that Udoka has the clear-sighted focus and discipline that it takes to win an NBA championship.
Oyedeji added: “He has that killer mindset. It’s all about dedication, perseverance, the desire, the defensive mindedness. The way he played the game is the way he coaches the game.
“His team are going to be good in defense and with his knowledge of the game and his passion, he can accomplish a lot.”
Oyedeji says Udoka’s coaching chops were evident even while he was still a player: “There was no doubt. When you see a player, the way he plays the way he understands the game, you will know whether he is going to be a great coach.
“I remember in the 2006 World Cup when we had no point guard, Ime stepped up to play point guard.
“He played it so successfully in the way he handled the team, how he handled the game, how he composed himself, how he controlled the ball.
“That showed quality leadership and at the same time, an understanding of the game of basketball in a way that not many could get.”
The former D’Tigers star added: “He is a competitor, an achiever. Ime has kind of just really worked his way to where he is now. He didn’t get drafted, but he just kept going.
“He is very determined. He was determined to be great and he was determined to work himself to where he is right now.
“He did it only by hard work, dedication, perseverance and desire. He set a goal for himself and just keep pushing his goal. And that is the way his team plays. Even though they are young, they will fight hard and they will not give up. For them, it is not over until it is over.”
Michael C. Wright joins “NBA Today” to break down why a plethora of familiar faces played a role in Kevin Durant’s decision to sign with the Rockets.
Oyedeji should know. He has stood shoulder to shoulder with the Rockets coach during some very turbulent games with the Nigeria national basketball team.
In 2005, they played against hosts Algeria in the third place playoff at the FIBA Africa Championship. That game was for more than just classification purposes, as the winner would claim the third and final African spot at the 2006 FIBA World Cup.
Naturally, things got more than a little tasty on the court, with some physical confrontations all through the game. Udoka did not shy away. He was front and center, and ended up with a game high 24 points and 7 rebounds for D’Tigers while Oyedeji weighed in with 9 rebounds as the Nigerians claimed an 88-76 victory.
But it was after the game that things really went off the rails. Both sides got into a brawl, and it resulted in the Nigerian team unable to leave the building for hours.
“We had to be kept underground for like three, four hours,” Oyedeji says. “We couldn’t even find our head coach Sam Vincent or his assistant. Finally, we were smuggled out through the back of the stadium to our hotel.
“Ime was one of those who just stood his ground and refused to be intimidated.”
For all of that hardness he showed on the court, and now on the sidelines, including a confrontation with Warriors’ Draymond Green last season, Oyedeji says Udoka is a more tempered person off of it, and describes what sets him out as a person.
Oyedeji said: “He is very, very humble, soft-spoken, great heart. He always stays focused, very disciplined, very dedicated to the game. A lot of people don’t know that about him.”
And that combination of hard on the court and soft off it, is what Oyedeji believes will help the Rockets accomplish something they have not done since another Nigerian, Hakeem Olajuwon, led them to the NBA summit.