Last year was a very weird season for the Houston Rockets. They looked like world beaters to start the regular season, then they completely fell off when the calendar flipped to January. The lack of point guard and team chemistry thanks to the alleged Kevin Durant burner account showed.
It led to the Rockets flaming out against the Lakers in round one of the playoffs, and it was even more disappointing given the fact that LA was missing Luka Doncic for the entire series and Austin Reaves for some of it.
All of that set this season up to be a very crucial one for Houston. However, it does seem that they have put last year behind them.
The Rockets look poised to be a favorite in the West this season
The contention talk in the West was centered around Oklahoma City and San Antonio to start the year and rightfully so. Those two had an absolute war in the Western Conference Finals last season, but with all of the injuries the Thunder have suffered this year, the West is wide open.
The loss to Dallas aside, Houston has looked formidable on both ends of the floor. Fred VanVleet and Marcus Smart have really kept thai team organized and engaged offensively. In the case of VanVleet, this team missed his floor spacing and leadership.
Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun look much improved offensively and once again looking like the superstar duo that the Rockets wanted to build their future around. Sengun especially seems to have worked on simplifying his offensive game, which has greatly improved his efficiency.
And of course, Houston has the ageless wonder that is Kevin Durant. It feels like he’s going to be scoring 25 a game on elite efficiency for the rest of time. He is inevitable and he looks focused, engaged, and ready to lead this Rockets team.
Houston had a concerning finish to the season last year, but look to be on a mission to start the year so far. They got a huge win against San Antonio during opening week, which included Thompson’s highlight reel block of Wemby at the end of that game.
It is still early and they did have a good start to last season too and faltered towards the end, but it does feel a bit different. They are deeper and have their star trio of Durant, Sengun, and Thompson all playing off each other very well, so that is a very good sign.
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