Rockets Rank Third in Latest Western Conference Power Rankings

For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the Houston Rockets will enter the season as title contenders. That year, Houston was fresh off a Western Conference Finals appearance and nearly made it to the NBA Finals, if not for a untimely hamstring injury to Chris Paul.

It was the first year of the Chris Paul- James Harden pairing. 

Sure, Houston entered the 2019-20 with expectations of being one of the league's better teams, but questions persisted regarding Russell Westbrook's fit into Mike D'Antoni's 3-point heavy offensive attack. 

This time around, Houston is coming off a season in which they had the second-best record in the Western Conference and the fourth-best record in the entire league, at 52-30.

The Rockets faced the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs and gave a valiant effort --taking the series to seven games-- but were unable to stave off defeat.

Houston identified a need to get even better in the summer, seeking a surefire bucket-getter to replace the talented-yet-inconsistent Jalen Green. 

Kevin Durant entered the fold, as the Phoenix Suns found themselves in need of a do-over, after seeing their Big Three model of Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker fail to reach postseason contention.

The Rockets also added defensive reinforcements, by way of Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela -- the latter of which easily gives them the deepest center rotation in the association. 

To that point, Houston has arguably the deepest roster in the league, with a healthy balance of youth and veterans with championship experience. 

Now that the roster is set, it's worth zooming out and taking a look at how the Rockets are viewed by NBA writers. Sports Illustrated's Rylan Stiles concocted power rankings for the Western Conference and Houston came in third, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. 

"The Rockets feel like big winners from this offseason, adding Kevin Durant while only giving up Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. Of course, Brooks is a loss on the defensive end and perhaps in that locker room but Houston had a defensive surplus with zero offense making this swap a must-make for Rafael Stone and company.

Houston also added Clint Capela to a now crowded front court and Dorian Finney-Smith to Ime Udoka's rotation. Alprene Sengun has seen his stock skyrocket at Eurobasket this summer and few young players in the league are held in higher regard than Amen Thompson.

While Capela and Finney-Smith are no longer in their primes, they still add value to this roster. Finney-Smith in particular now taking a step back in assignment difficulty defensive could make him shine again on that end of the floor and the amount of open corner triples he should net this season gives a shot of life into a once decrepit Rockets offense.

The expectations that the Rockets will still have an elite defense and surely have one of the biggest offensive leaps in the NBA solidifies its top three spot in the West."

Financially, Houston has a few kinks to iron out. They reached a new deal with the aforementioned VanVleet, while also giving Jabari Smith Jr. a new $122 million deal, but Tari Eason's contract is up after the season, as is Durant's. 

The team will also need second-year guard Reed Sheppard to take a leap and justify his draft position (third in the 2024 NBA Draft).

But again, Houston will enter the season as one of the league's true title contenders.