NBA Power Rankings Preseason Edition: Lakers moves lead the way
. Houston Rockets. 29. team. 169. .
Last Season: 17-55, 15th in Western Conference
One year ago the Houston Rockets had a perennial MVP candidate; then he demanded a trade, pouted his way through training camp and the preseason, and loafed around on the court to start the season. The Rockets freed themselves from that nightmare by finding a trade partner in Brooklyn, and they are now building a new team in the aftermath of the James Harden era.
They are doing that two ways. The first is pursuing undervalued young talent, and the second is loading up on draft picks. Players such as Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jae’Sean Tate all look like valuable rotation pieces, if not starters. The team then took four players in the first-round of the 2021 NBA Draft, making Houston both very young and likely very bad this season, with an eye on a quick ascent in the years to come.
Key Offseason Move: Drafting Jalen Green with the No. 2 pick. To build a winning team you need a centerpiece star, and in Year One of their rebuild the Houston Rockets may have already found him. Green has the athleticism and shot creation of a young star, a guard who can score but also grow into helping set up teammates as well. He’s more Tracy McGrady than James Harden in the annals of Houston stars, but he’s a great replacement to jumpstart the rebuild.