Apr 28, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward/guard Amen Thompson (1) gestures to teammates between plays against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter of game four of the 2025 NBA Playoffs first round at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Early Power Rankings See Rockets Regress in Western Conference

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Anthony Duckett | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Houston Rockets' offseason is all but over. The team added Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Clint Capela, in addition to retaining Aaron Holiday, Jae'Sean Tate, and Jeff Green.

On the flip side, the Rockets parted with Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, while releasing Jock Landale.

The Rockets' offseason activity, in addition to their second-place finish in the Western Conference in 2024-25, have the masses penciling the franchise in the upper echelon of the West. In fact, the oddsmakers have the Rockets slated to finish second in the conference, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The latest power rankings from Yahoo Sports tell the same story, although they have the Rockets entering the season as the third-best team in the conference, behind OKC and the Denver Nuggets.

The full synopsis is below:

"The Rockets captured the West's No. 2 seed last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the veteran-laden Warriors. Both were indications of a young team that had enough talent to capture a home playoff seed in a stacked conference but was not yet sure how to leverage it into playoff success.

Mainly, they needed someone who could create a bucket when it was necessary, so they traded 23-year-old Jalen Green for 36-year-old Kevin Durant, who remains one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He is theoretically a hand-in-glove fit, though theory does not always meet reality on a Durant-led team.

Regardless, Durant, when healthy, is a massive upgrade from Green who instantly makes the Rockets a more serious championship contender, as do the acquisitions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela, who respectively bolster Houston's already formidable depth at the wing and center positions."

The full rankings for the Western Conference are below:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Houston Rockets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Golden State Warriors
6. LA Clippers
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. San Antonio Spurs
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Dallas Mavericks
11. Portland Trail Blazers
12. Sacramento Kings
13. Phoenix Suns
14. New Orleans Pelicans
15. Utah Jazz