Rockets Take Noticeable Leap in Latest Power Rankings

After a brutal skid in December, in which the Houston Rockets lost five of seven games, they find themselves on a high. The Rockets have now won four games in a row, with key victories over the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets. 

Houston won both holiday games -- Christmas and New Year's. 

The Rockets are finally starting to get healthy. Tari Eason is back.

Dorian Finney-Smith is playing, and will be off his minutes restriction.

Amen Thompson is back at his natural position, on the wing, where he's thrived at and proven to be a force. 

Alperen Sengun has returned from his mini absence, which caused him to miss two games.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka has started to maximize his lineups and rotations, putting Tari Eason into the starting lineup, in favor of Josh Okogie. 

The Rockets are firing on all cylinders now. 

Unsurprisingly, Houston took quite a leap in Bleacher Report's latest power rankings. 

The Rockets jumped to second place, a noticeable jump from their previous sixth-place finish. 

"After an undefeated week of games against the Eastern Conference, the Houston Rockets have put some distance between their second-place net rating and the Denver Nuggets' third-place mark.

And in the most recent victory, they showed off just how deep and well-balanced their attack is.

Houston had six players hit double figures in its 120-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, three hit 20 and two hit 20 points and five assists.

For the season, six different Rockets have had 20-and-5 games, with Alperen Şengün and Kevin Durant leading the way with 15 and 13, respectively."

The writer, Andy Bailey, noted Houston's depth.

"That kind of depth and the fact that Houston is currently second in the league in points per 100 possessions makes it tough to find fault with the offense."

He then recommended that the Rockets turn to Reed Sheppard for their well-documented point guard need. 

"There's a chance Reed Sheppard could supercharge it even further.

Houston is currently in the bottom 10 in threes per game while having the second worst turnover percentage in the league. Sheppard is averaging 3.8 threes and 1.7 turnovers per 75 possessions.

There may be a bit of a learning curve for both him and the starters left around him, but going through that a few months before the playoffs could pay off in a big spot."

Bailey cited the potential embrace of Reed Sheppard as primary on-ball guard as Houston's New Year's resolution.

• Turnover Prevention Highlighted as Rockets' New Year's Resolution
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• Rockets Soar Near the Top in Bleacher Report's Latest NBA Power Rankings
• Explaining the Rockets' Offensive Attack This Season
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