Rockets Need a Conference Finals Appearance To Mark Their Arrival

The Houston Rockets are trying to establish themselves as one of the top teams in the NBA after adding several veteran players this offseason to bolster their chances of earning their first championship in three decades. Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela are the new additions who will contribute to Houston's success next season. The return of Steven Adams is a huge boost for the team as well.

However, being a great team on paper is not enough to establish a team in the league. They'll have to bring the results from this era of Rockets basketball as well. Nothing but a Conference Finals appearance in the next two seasons will give Houston the validation for battling through a difficult rebuild and a tough postseason introduction.

The Rockets will depend on the aforementioned new additions to help support the contributions from the young core players.

Durant will be the top scorer for the squad, leading the team with his full arsenal of shooting. Durant, along with Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun, will be the leaders on the offense. They'll have to combine their games with a mix of finesse, athleticism and shooting.

The Rockets' offense needs the biggest improvement from last season, as that was where the team fell short during the playoffs. They missed consistent scoring in half-court settings, so that will be what they look at improving moving into next season.

Defensively, the Rockets should still be one of the league's top teams. Thompson will become the team's top defensive player and guard the best players from opposing teams. Houston will depend on Thompson to be a leader on both sides of the ball. Sengun became a much-improved player on defense last season, anchoring one of the league's best defenses while surrounded by defensive wings.

Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and Finney-Smith will be the wings counted on to provide defensive strength to a team that should once again be one of the league's defenses.

The Rockets have all the tools to become one of the league's top teams next season and reach a Conference Finals, so they'll be somewhat of a disappointment if they can't reach those heights.

Winning a championship for any team is a difficult proposition, but a Conference Finals appearance should be well within reach for a team that finished as the West's second seed last season. Without an appearance in the NBA's final four teams, the Rockets can't be considered one of the league's top teams.