The Houston Rockets finished in the NBA’s top third in 3-point percentage last season.
Their latest coaching hire suggests they want to make that strength more functional around the two young players who could shape the franchise’s next decade.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the Rockets are hiring Chip Engelland as an assistant on Ime Udoka’s staff.
Engelland spent the past four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder following a 17-year run with the San Antonio Spurs, where his relationship with Udoka began.
The move gives Houston one of the league’s most respected shooting specialists at a point when small gains from Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun could create a much larger change in the offense.
Engelland Gives Rockets a Development Bet With Immediate Stakes
Engelland has long carried the nickname “The Shot Whisperer,” a reflection of his reputation for refining mechanics while building a player’s confidence.
He began working in the NBA as a shooting consultant in Detroit in 1999, spent two seasons as Denver’s director of player development and thenjoined San Antonio in 2005.
Engelland remained with the Spurs through 2022 before joining the Thunder.
His most celebrated work came with Kawhi Leonard, who entered the NBA with questions about his jumper.
Engelland lowered Leonard’s release point and helped clean up his follow-through, adjustments that became part of the foundation for Leonard’s rise into an elite two-way scorer.
The Thunder also offered a more recent example of Engelland’s value.
Oklahoma City shot an NBA-worst 32.3% from 3-point range in 2021-22, the season before his arrival. The Thunder then finished 17th, first, sixth and ninth in 3-point percentage during his four years on the staff.
Houston does not enter the same job from the bottom of the league.
The Rockets made 36.4% of their threes last season, which ranked 10th, but attempted only 31.5 per game, the third-lowest total in the NBA.
That combination makes Engelland’s assignment more nuanced.
Houston needs to preserve its efficiency while finding ways to create more space and increase the number of credible shooters Udoka can keep on the floor.
Thompson, Sengun Become Engelland’s Clearest Projects
Thompson remains the obvious starting point.
The 23-year-old averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 53.4% from the field last season. He made only 21.6% of his 3-point attempts, however, and averaged 1.5 attempts per game.
Thompson’s speed, cutting and finishing already force defenses to account for him near the basket.
But a more dependable jumper would make it harder for opponents to retreat into the paint and clog his driving lanes.
Sengun presents a different challenge.
The two-time All-Star averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists, giving Houston a playmaking center who can operate from the post or the elbow. He shot 30.5% from three on 1.8 attempts per game and 69.1% at the free-throw line.
The Rockets can build a high-level offense around Thompson’s pressure at the rim, Şengün’s passing and Kevin Durant’s scoring.
Their spacing becomes easier to solve when defenders can leave two members of that trio outside the paint.
Engelland will not have to turn either young star into a volume shooter.
Even steady progress could change how opponents guard Houston’s primary lineups and give Udoka more options late in games.
The Rockets hired Engelland to give two already productive players one more dependable way to punish defenses.
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