The Rockets Share All The Traits Of A Contending Team

When the Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant earlier this offseason, they felt they were making one of the final moves to launch the team into the league's upper echelon. The front office believes they now have enough to compete with other contending teams, like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. The Rockets, Thunder, and Nuggets each had different formulas to reach the highest level of competition, but there are also striking similarities in a modern contending team.

Teams with championship chances are often led by their best player, and the current contending teams boast at least one player who is capable of being the best player in a highly competitive series.

There are five MVPs between Durant, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Teams covet MVP-caliber players to lead their teams and to build the rest of the roster around their strengths.

That's where the main similarities lie, as each team has successfully built a quality roster that fully complements their best players.

For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic is surrounded by players who can do multiple things: shoot, play defense, and cut to the basket. Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray are talented supporters who can contribute at high levels and even lead the team in some games.

Gilgeous-Alexander has Jalen Williams to help relieve some of the ball-handling duties, and Chet Holmgren to protect the paint and space the floor on offense to create space for the reigning MVP to attack the rim.

Durant joins a squad with Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun on the rise to help ease the burden of initiating offense. Durant is one of the league's most efficient isolation scorers, but his preferred play style is in a seamless offense that creates open shots for others.

While much of the focus on a contending team goes towards the offense, it's the defense that truly makes each of these teams a threat in the postseason.

The Thunder had one of the league's best defenses all season, and their success continued into the postseason as they claimed the franchise's first championship in Oklahoma City. The Nuggets delivered their first championship in 2023 with a similar level of impactful defense.

The Rockets have spent several seasons building up their defense and have become one of the league's best defensive teams. They've been waiting for the offense to catch up, and they may have their chance next season to prove that it has.

If the Rockets put themselves in a position to win, several elements that have helped other top teams in the past will also aid them in reaching that point.