Where Do the Rockets Rank Among Texas Teams?

The Houston Rockets have made strides in the past few seasons to complete their rebuild and return to being a relevant team in the NBA landscape. The San Antonio Spurs are close to achieving the same, and the Dallas Mavericks are reloaded after a Finals run that saw the end of Luka Doncic's tenure. Every team in Texas is closing in on making the next step. The Rockets hope to create some separation between the rest of their in-state rivals.

The San Antonio Spurs are set up to have one of their best seasons in years, depending on how their health situation is next season.

Victor Wembanyama is the young focal point to lead the team. He's joined by Texas-native De'Aaron Fox, who is trying to earn postseason moments that have been rare in his career. The Spurs have several other young, talented players to fill out their roster, along with some impact veteran players. They'll also likely add another top pick to the roster during this year's draft.

The Mavericks are an interesting team because, on paper, the roster could be competitive. Anchored by Anthony Davis and captained by Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks are led by two of the league's most talented players.

Health will play a large factor in the Mavericks' season. They'll start the season without Irving while he recovers from a late-season injury. Davis has been relatively healthy the past few seasons after developing a reputation for being injured and missing time consistently. Once the team is fully healthy, Irving and Davis provide the basis for a team that can truly compete for a championship. The Mavericks still have work to do to revamp the roster, but they've avoided a rebuild after trading their franchise player.

The Rockets have every reason to feel they match up well with either team from Texas.

Houston has a roster filled with athletic, fast, defensive players who make things difficult for opposing offenses. Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun are players who are rising in the national conversation as the Rockets' best players. There are also players who Houston still hopes reach their potential, like Jalen Green and Reed Sheppard.

There's also the possibility that Kevin Durant is wearing a Rockets jersey next season, which could give the Rockets a short-term boost to their contention odds.

However, this is a team that won over 50 games as currently constructed. While the other two teams got better, the Rockets still rank ahead of the Spurs and the Mavericks. San Antonio is also in a better spot for next season than Dallas.

The order of these teams could change throughout the year, especially as they begin playing each other. But the Rockets are still the top team Texas has to offer, so far.