Will Rockets Make Playoffs This Season?

The Houston Rockets have gone four straight seasons without reaching the playoffs, one of the longer droughts in franchise history.

However, Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus believes that the Rockets will end that drought this season and make it to the playoffs.

"The Houston Rockets grew last season from a bottom-feeder to a .500 team. They fell five games short of the 9/10th slotted teams (Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors), but this year will be different," Pincus writes. "It took some time for new head coach Ime Udoka to instill a defensive-minded culture. The team will build upon that this year, initially with continuity. Houston will still need to rely on several young players, including recently drafted Reed Sheppard, but the Rockets will make the play-in tournament and sneak into one of the bottom two playoff seeds."

The Rockets returned nearly their entire roster from a year ago, and that continuity should play into their favor, especially early on into the season. Add in the fact that the team has experience under second-year coach Ime Udoka and are all getting better individually, and the Rockets look like a dangerous team.

The Rockets shouldn't be promised anything because the Western Conference is very stacked, but there is more than a puncher's chance for the team to get its first taste of the postseason together this year.