Where Do Rockets Rank in Western Conference?
The Houston Rockets have made a lot of moves this offseason as they hired a new coach, drafted two high-profile players, signed two big-name free agents and were runner-ups in the Summer League.
Next season will look a lot different, but there are questions about how the players from last year's team will mesh with the new talent.
The Rockets have the seventh-youngest roster in the NBA, including six important pieces that are 22-years-old or under: Jalen Green (21 years old), Amen Thompson (20), Jabari Smith Jr. (20), Cam Whitmore (19), Tari Eason (22), Alperen Sengun (21).
After all of these changes, NBA.com released their annual offseason Western Conference power rankings ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season.
The Houston Rockets were ranked No. 13 in the conference, only ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.
John Schuhmann, the author of the rankings, explained that Houston's offensive and defensive production were historically low for more than just last season.
"The Rockets are the first team in 29 years (and the first team in a 30-team league) to rank in the bottom five on both ends of the floor in three straight seasons, Schuhmann said. "The last team to do it was the Dallas Mavericks in 1991-92, ’92-93 and ’93-94."
Schumann mentioned another historic statistic that was detrimental to Houston's ranking.
"They were outscored by 12.2 points per game from 3-point range, the biggest discrepancy for any team in the 44 years of the 3-point line," Schuhmann said.
Schuhmann explained that the new members of the Rockets clubhouse have to be the ones who steer them in the right direction.
"(Point guard Fred) VanVleet, (small forward Dillon) Brooks and (coach Ime) Udoka will improve the defense themselves, but Green and Sengun also need to get better on that end of the floor," Schuhmann said. "Their readiness and willingness to defend may go a long way in determining how far the Rockets climb up the standings because offense may still be a struggle."
While the Rockets may struggle this year, their young talent has shown a lot of potential this summer for the future.
You can follow Hunter De Siver on Twitter @HunterDeSiver.
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