There's no question the Houston Rockets are in "win now" mode.
They're entering this season with renewed energy after last spring's embarrassing first round playoff loss to the Lakers, one that came with Kevin Durant out but for which there aren't many excuses, not when the Lakers were without Luka Doncic on their side.
Now Durant enters the last year of his contract and, while he has expressed a desire to remain beyond that, nothing is ever certain with Durant -- as evidenced by him playing for the Warriors, Nets and Suns after his initial run in the Sonics/Thunder organization.
So it feels as if there's more weight on the Rockets' shoulders than in prior seasons. There are fewer excuses, with Durant, Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet all back from injury -- and with Marcus Smart, who played a role in the Lakers's elimination of Houston, added to the mix.
Also here: Bogdan Bogdanović, which bolsters their perimeter shooting and alleviates pressure offensively when Durant, VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. are having "off shooting nights". Look no further than the Rockets' 27 point blow out preseason win over OKC where Bogdanović himself went 5-of-8 from three.
So what's the actual ceiling for this team?
Clear Targets at the Top
The West has an obvious pecking order.
Outside of San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Denver, the conference is pretty much a new landscape. LeBron James left to the Philadelphia 76ers and, even though the Lakers weren't elite in his minutes last season, there will likely be an adjustment. Minnesota will look to find their rhythm with the addition of LaMelo Ball, Golden State has to answer to the "age old" question of Father Time -- Jimmy Butler remains out and Stephen Curry already had a preseason scare -- and everyone else is going to have to scrap it out.
Can the Rockets rise into the top three, or higher?
It's attainable if Durant and Alperen Sengun, in particular, continue to grow their chemistry -- the All-Stars played in 69 games together last season and combined for more than 46 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists on average in those games. These two are also joined by Amen Thompson, who was voted top perimeter defender and most athletic player by GM's across the league, and just received a contract extension to stamp his standing. Tari Eason has also been extended; the core is set, for now.
For that core to continue together past this season, it would seem that the minimum is a repeat of the 52-30 regular season record and advancement to the second round.
There's plenty of talent -- and the Spurs and Thunder could endure injuries at inopportune times. The Thunder did last postseason, with Jalen Williams going out, and that opened the opportunity for the Spurs to reach the NBA Finals.
So expecting last year's fifth seed to be in contention this year for the championship isn't exactly far fetched; it's a high reality if they can keep these guys healthy and get themselves in good standing for the post season.
.
Add us as a preferred source on Google