The Rockets strengthened their coaching staff by having Ngland join as an assistant to Udoka.

July 23 - According to ESPN , the team has hired Chip Engelander , a well-known shooting and player development coach in the league , to join head coach Imé Udoka 's assistant coaching staff.

The 65- year-old Engeland previously played four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Before that, he spent 17 years with the San Antonio Spurs and worked with Udoka for many years. Udoka collaborated with Engeland both as a player and as an assistant coach.

Engelland is hailed as one of the league's top shooting coaches, nicknamed " Dr. Shooting . " He has helped players like Kawhi Leonard , Tony Parker , and Dejounte Murray improve their shooting abilities. During his time with the Thunder, he also helped Lue Dort improve his three-point shooting, raising Dort's three-point percentage to 37% under Engelland's coaching .

A key objective of the Rockets' acquisition of Engeland is to improve the shooting ability of their young core players. Last season, the Rockets ranked 10th in the league in three-point shooting percentage , but only 25th in three-pointers made . In their first-round playoff series loss to the Lakers, the team averaged only 10 three-pointers made per game, with a shooting percentage of just 30% .

The Rockets have not yet announced their full coaching staff roster for the 2026-27 season, but most of Udoka's existing assistant coaching team are expected to remain, including lead assistant coach Ben Sullivan , Royle Ivey , and Garrett Jackson .

Image source: Internet