Under Ime Udoka, Rockets lead NBA in after-timeout scoring efficiency
“What stands out the most is that Rockets head coach Ime Udoka continues to be an excellent play-caller,” Mat Issa of Forbes says of the ATO data.
Even after three straight wins, the Rockets are entering April at 46-29 and at No. 5 in the 2025-26 Western Conference standings . Those metrics are below the championship-contending expectations that many had for Houston after its blockbuster Kevin Durant trade during the 2025 offseason.
While long-term injuries to key players such as Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams have been a major factor, that hasn’t stopped some fans and analysts from questioning the performance of head coach Ime Udoka. But regardless of perspective, there is one area where Udoka clearly seems to be excelling, and that’s in calling offensive plays out of timeouts. Mat Issa of Forbes explains : Most of the time, teams don’t run set plays anymore.
They install concepts/principles and let their players free flow and read and react out of that infrastructure. The unpredictability of it all is part of the reason that offenses have become so efficient today. Nowadays, the only time that coaches get to try their hand at play-calling is in the possessions immediately following a timeout.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “ATO” (after timeout). Fortunately for us, the good people at PBP Stats track how many possessions and how many points each team has scored on possessions after timeouts. So, I can take a look at how each team performs in these situations.