Houston Rockets: Which Western Conference Opponents Pose Biggest Threat Next Season?

Despite a deep and grueling Western Conference, a young Houston Rockets squad managed to come out as the No. 2 seed at the end of the 2024-2025 season. The conference saw eight teams reach at least 48 wins, led by eventual champions Oklahoma City Thunder with 68, and the Rockets following suit with 52.

Even the teams who didn't reach the 48 win mark were competitive despite being decimated through injuries – see the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs. Although the Rockets got better through additions like Kevin Durant and Clint Capela, so did the rest of the conference, meaning next year is set up for another blood bath.

The Nuggets added veterans like Cam Johnson, the Mavericks added Cooper Flagg, the Trail Blazers traded for Jrue Holiday, and the Spurs are getting healthy Victor Wembanyama back just to name a few notable additions.

In what projects to be one of the best conference's in recent history, here's which squads should scare the Rockets title hopes the most next season.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

It's the obvious choice, but this squad can't go unspoken about. The reigning champs have retained every rotational piece of their title run – only shipping out Dillon Jones – and appear to be running back the same team with the additions of rookies Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer.

Spearheaded by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, there's a world where this team actually improves even further next year with healthier seasons from big men Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

The Thunder's overwhelming defense could cause problems for a Rockets offense spending it's first season with Kevin Durant, as the team learns to play with each other and gel for the first time. Houston will have plenty of time to prepare for a playoff run, but as of now, the Thunder are the top dogs in the Western Conference.

2. Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets primary issue last season was the depth around Jokic, and that was certainly addressed this offseason – adding the previously mentioned Cam Johnson, along with Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas and DaRon Holmes II to the mix. They pushed the Thunder to seven games last year, and took down the Rockets in two out of three regular season matchups with the lone loss being without Nikola Jokic.

The Rockets have a collection of wing defenders who can certainly help play their part in guarding the three-time MVP, it'll be up to Alperen Sengun, Clint Capela and Steven Adams to take his primary matchup – each of whom have severely struggled against Jokic in recent contests.

As David Adelman enters his first full season as a head coach, expect the Nuggets to look much sharper in the upcoming season – potentially returning to the form of their 2023 championship run.

3. Golden State Warriors

Last season, the Warriors seemed like a rag-tag unit thrown together, with mid-season addition Jimmy Butler dealing with injuries throughout the playoffs. Even so, they took down the Rockets in an intense seven game round one matchup, and won the first game of their series against Minnesota before losing Steph Curry to a hamstring strain.

After getting an entire offseason to gel together, Golden State's big three of Curry, Butler and Draymond Green could make some serious noise – revamping as the Warriors of old, who thrived on chemistry and team play.

They may be aging, but it's a squad that has proven capable of winning championships under multiple iterations of the franchise. With loads of playoff and championship expirience, the Warriors are an underrated threat to take down the Rockets next year that can't be overlooked.