The Houston Rockets hire Chip Engelland also known as “The Shot Doctor” from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Engelland is set to be the new assistant coach under Ime Udoka in Houston.

Engelland has made a name for himself for his player development work, primarily in increasing players’ shooting efficiency. Engelland is being hired from Oklahoma City, where he spent the last four years. Over those four years, Engelland has been credited with having played a significant, if not crucial role in improving the team’s shooting.

In the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the Thunder had a league-worst 32.3% perimeter shooting. The Thunder then hired Engelland in July 2022, and drastically improved the team’s shooting. In the 2022-23 season, he brought the team's shooting up by over 2%, and the team finished with a 35.6% from three-point range , which was ranked 17th overall in the NBA. In the next year, he made an even bigger impact, bringing the team to lead the NBA in perimeter shooting, with an impressive 38.9%.

One of Engelland’s strategies to improve three-point shooting is the focus he places on improving players' catch-and-shoot techniques. Engelland relies on creating space for the shooters to avoid having to take a lot of contested shots. This requires both the ball and the players to be in motion, making the offense more fluid and creative, and forcing defenses to bring their big men away from the paint and out to the perimeter.

Improving this aspect of the offense can be very significant and impactful for the Rockets, especially when considering the team’s offense was caught stagnant many times last season and relied on isolation plays and jumpers.

Houston averaged around 31.5 3-point attempts per game last season, which was near the bottom of the league, ranked 28th in the NBA. This is another aspect that Houston will hope Engelland can improve, as increasing this volume can increase the total scoring output and also create wider driving lanes for the offense to take advantage of.

If Houston wants to be a true contender in the West, the roster will have to be confident when the pressure is on, which they were not able to do last season. This was put in the spotlight in the playoffs, when their three-point shooting was almost catastrophic. Hiring and working with “The Shot Doctor” is likely to improve the team’s overall confidence and effectiveness in the shooting department.

Engelland has earned his nickname “The Shot Doctor”. If he replicates his work in Houston, will the Rockets be true contenders in the Western Conference?