Oddsmakers Predict Marginal Improvement for Rockets Next Season

The 2024-25 Houston Rockets became a bit of a Cinderella story, winning 52 games and finishing second in the immensely competitive Western Conference. The Rockets took an unorthodox leap from 11th in the West in 2023-24 to second in the conference last season and gave the Golden State Warriors all they could handle, but were unable to avoid defeat, falling within seven games.

It was clear all season, however, that the team lacked a go-to scoring threat during "winning time". 

Insert Kevin Durant, the league's eighth-leading scorer of all-time.

Although he's 36 years old, it's not as if he had some sort of drop-off in play, as he just averaged 25 points for his 16th consecutive season.

The Rockets also added Dorian Finney-Smith to replace Dillon Brooks, who was included in the Durant trade for salary purposes.

In spite of that, oddsmakers don't quite expect the Rockets to take a major leap next season. DraftKings Sportsbook predicts the Rockets to win 54.5 games, which they expect to be second-best in the Western Conference, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who they expect to win 62.5 games.

Their full projections are below, starting with the Western Conference. 

1. Oklahoma City Thunder: 62.5 wins
2. Houston Rockets: 54.5 wins
3. Denver Nuggets: 53.5 wins
4. Minnesota Timberwolves: 51.5 wins
5. Los Angeles Lakers: 47.5 wins
6. Golden State Warriors: 47.5 wins
7. Los Angeles Clippers: 45.5 wins
8. San Antonio Spurs: 43.5 wins
9. Memphis Grizzlies: 40.5 wins
10. Dallas Mavericks: 38.5 wins

The Eastern Conference projections are below:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: 55.5 wins
2. New York Knicks: 52.5 wins
3. Orlando Magic: 51.5 wins
4. Atlanta Hawks: 46.5 wins
5. Milwaukee Bucks: 45.5 wins
6. Detroit Pistons: 45.5 wins
7. Boston Celtics: 43.5 wins
8. Philadelphia 76ers: 43.5 wins
9. Indiana Pacers: 39.5 wins
10. Miami Heat: 36.5 wins