The Jazz are about to compete with the Rockets for the play-off qualification, and Udoka is under a lot of pressure.
The Jazz have a strong 8-2 record in their last 10 games, and they have won 18 of their big wins over the Bucks on the road and are currently in 11th place in the West. The Rockets are 18-17 after losing to the Heat, and the gap with the Jazz is getting closer.
Jazz No. 16 rookie Kiyont George became the team's surprise player with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and the 20-year-old 1.93-meter-tall shooting guard is averaging 11 points and 4.5 assists in 25 minutes per game this season. His athleticism, passing and defensive awareness are good, but his offensive efficiency is a bit low, shooting 37.1 percent from the field. However, the flaws are not hidden, and little George is worth cultivating. The Rockets had also scouted George Jr. before the draft, and his template was Eric Gordon, which naturally piqued Stone's interest.
Rockets general manager Stone had hoped that Josh Christopher, who was born in 2001 and was 1.93 meters tall, would be the next Gordon, but he lost his sight. It was not for nothing that some experts predicted that Christopher would fall to the second round. Christopher doesn't have a high ball quotient, inconsistent projection, poor passing and defense, and only his young age and athleticism are pluses.
Christopher was labeled a nexus after being drafted by the Rockets because he and Jalen Green had a fairly good relationship.
Christopher was not reused under Silas, and Udoka came and simply excluded him from the plan and ended up being a trade chip.
Jalen Green's good brother Christopher was previously cut by the Grizzlies and is now cut by the Jazz. Christopher scored 34 points and 6 assists in a Development League game on January 8 local time, and was still ruthlessly cut by the Jazz.
Christopher has been a water cooler player since joining the Jazz before he was relegated to the Salt Lake City Starlights.
Christopher, a player with 138 NBA regular-season games, can't afford to mess around in the Development League, averaging 21 points per game that is not as good as Whitmore, a first-year student. While Christopher worked hard to impress Jazz management, they thought the ticket had been scratched thank you.
Will the Rockets still sign Christopher? Some fans said no, Whitmore is much more fragrant than him.
Whitmore is currently averaging 8.3 points and 2.5 boards in 11 minutes per game, shooting 54.3% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range. There are more and more fans who support Whitt to play starting point guard by default, and Jalen Green has lost quite a few fans this season.
Whitmore had 11 points and six rebounds against the Heat, shooting 5-of-8 from the field, which was quite efficient. Udoka allowed Whitmore to play just four minutes in the fourth quarter, and small guard Holiday played 12 minutes on 2-of-6 shooting.
After the game, many fans questioned Udoka's employment, and they hoped that Whitmore's playing time would increase. Whitmore had four fouls on his back, and Udoka was not comfortable with him.
After the game, Rockets coach Udoka pointed out that Whitmore made mistakes on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends of the game, and he was fouled by the elder Love. Fans saw Whitmore's effort and potential, and Udoka admitted it, although it looks like he trusts his favorite Holiday more.
One thing to say, it's normal for Whitmore to make mistakes as a rookie, and Udoka should give more encouragement. On the other hand, Holiday also has times when he is blind, and Udoka should be treated equally.
Udoka also mentioned that Jalen Green also made mistakes in the game, with the latter scoring 11 points but 2-of-10 from the field and making just one shot in the final six minutes of the final quarter.