NBA Agitator Praises Ime Udoka After Signing With Rockets

It wasn’t the sole reason why Dillon Brooks signed a four-year, $80 million deal with the Houston Rockets this offseason.

But having former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka at the helm certainly only aided the Rockets’ cause to land Brooks.

The sixth-year pro has made a name for himself — and sometimes not for good reasons — in the league with his agitating and aggressive playstyle. While Brooks can hold up offensively, he excels as a versatile defender and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in his career this season.

And with his defensive mindset, he saw it as a good fit between him and Udoka, whose defense-first philosophy was the backbone of Boston’s run to the NBA Finals in 2022.

“Just trying to build the right way. This is an offense-driven league but to win championships, to win games on a consistent basis, you’ve got to have defense,” Brooks told Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “Everybody can score. Everybody can find a way to make plays. But how can you get stops? And that was part of my reason why I picked (Houston). Ime Udoka is a great coach. And I want to be coached by a great coach.”

In Udoka’s lone season with the Celtics, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams each had their best defensive seasons of their careers. Smart took home NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the first guard to do so since Gary Payton accomplished the feat in the 1995-96 season. Williams earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team recognition.

And with Brooks now teaming up with Udoka, he’s looking to spearhead his coach’s defensive game plans and be a leader for a young team.

“Just a lot of grit. A lot of heart, a lot of knowledge, good defensive game as well,” Brooks told Iko on what he can bring the Rockets. “And I’m here to teach, you know what I’m saying? I can’t wait to work with Tari (Eason). I feel like he can be a great player in this NBA — especially a great defender — and grow his game, his athleticism and everything. But I can’t wait to work with him.”