2018-19 NBA season: Record predictions for every team

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are coming off a historic 65-win campaign. James Harden won MVP and Chris Paul, at 33 years old, almost willed them past Golden State in the playoffs. Some natural regression is on the horizon, but Houston remains an elite team nonetheless.

With Eric Gordon joining the starting five, Houston’s offense will be as dynamic as ever. Losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute hurts, but Carmelo Anthony and James Ennis bring positive traits to the bench. Even Marquese Chriss showed flashes in preseason.

With Gordon adding another weapon to the main group, Melo can focus his energy toward producing in spurts off the bench. Mike D’Antoni is utilizing him in lineups that feature a strong defensive presence, which mitigates his biggest weakness.

In the midst of his prime, Harden is on track for another MVP-caliber season. He has finished top-2 in MVP voting for three straight seasons, which points to his insane talent and hefty workload. It’s tough to win back-to-back awards, but the production will be there.

As for CP3, his production in year 16 is worth monitoring. His preseason was impressive, but he’s still an undersized point guard on the wrong side of 30. Health has been a nagging issue in recent years and his production, at some point, will dip.

Where the team will regress, however, is defense. After ranking as the NBA’s sixth-best defense last season, Houston lost some valuable personnel on that end. Paul is also another year older. If their defensive effectiveness slips, so do their title chances.

Final prediction: 58-24, No. 2 seed Western Conference