‘Master at what he does’: Ime Udoka on Houston’s Chip Engelland addition
The “shot doctor” is officially in.
Now officially a Rockets assistant, Chip Engelland is already working with players at the team’s primary practice facility in Houston. Training camp for the NBA’s 2026-27 season opens later this month, and rising stars such as Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard are hoping for a fast start.
At Friday’s Sept. 11 community service event in Houston, head coach Ime Udoka addressed the addition of Engelland for the first time.
Udoka’s comments (via Chancellor Johnson):
He’s a guy I go back 20 years with, when I was in San Antonio. I always joke with him that I wasn’t big time enough for him to help me with my jump shot. He was always busy with Tony Parker and Kawhi (Leonard) and everybody. But he’s a guy I’ve been around as both a player and as a coach.
Obviously Garrett Jackson, Ben Sullivan, Cam Hodges (current Rockets assistants), all those guys came up under him. It’s kind of having the mentor back in the building for those guys.
They’ve done a great job with our guys, and just to have the master at what he does in the building has been good for us. He’s enthused to be back with some guys who are familiar faces, and to get to know the young guys. I think he’ll obviously be a benefit for our guys in the shooting aspect.
The Rockets hired renowned shooting coach Chip Engelland over the offseason.
Asked Ime Udoka about his addition. Turns out, Udoka wasn’t quite nice enough to get Engelland’s help during his playing days.
“I always joke that I wasn’t big time enough for him to help me with my… pic.twitter.com/lJnHCJeWSy
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) September 12, 2026
When Houston’s 2025-26 season ended in May, Udoka initially said that he did not expect offseason changes to his coaching staff.
But it appears the availability of Engelland — who was coaching in the playoffs with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time — changed the calculus.
Udoka clearly trusts Engelland after those shared experiences with the Spurs, and the hope is that it will carry over to a new stint together in Houston.