Houston Rockets Rank Top 10 in NBA Power Rankings

The Athletic released their annual NBA Power Rankings ahead of the season, which ranked the Rockets at No. 6. Ahead of Houston is the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

In the article written by The Athletics Law Murray, Houston was at the top of tier two, listed as a team that is "In a good place" compared to the top five teams that Murray lists as "Top Contenders," which is likely to ruffle feathers in Houston.

"The first big move that the Rockets made was getting Durant in exchange for Brooks and Green. The second big move was to backfill Brooks’ defense by getting Finney-Smith from the conference rival Lakers. This defense should be at least as good as it was last season. And Houston tripled down on depth at center by getting Capela back to replace Landale. The Rockets are counting on a leap from 2024 lottery pick Reed Sheppard, as Houston is going to need some shooting and ballhandling even when Durant is available. And for all of Green’s weaknesses, he only missed 21 games in four seasons, including none the last two years. Durant will be 37 in September and has missed an average of 22 games per season the last four years," stated Murray.

Houston's roster is built on defense, which head coach Ime Udoka has praised on every team he has been a part of. With the addition of an alpha male scorer in Kevin Durant, along with several wings to disperse throughout the game, the recipe for success in Houston may be a bit more than just being in a good place.

The young core of Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun will be a tandem that the Rockets should be moving forward with for at least the next five seasons if they hope to contend in a loaded Western Conference. Not to mention the potential leap of second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who is likely to see an increase in minutes this upcoming season.

As the Rockets prepare for next season, their free agency moves may be over with, but don't be shocked if general manager Rafael Stone pulls a rabbit out of the hat on one more trade before the season begins.