Latest Power Rankings See Houston Rockets Make Slight Jump

By now, virtually every team's roster is set. Sure, there are some quality free agents remaining (hello Russell Westbrook, Seth Curry, Malcolm Brogdon, and Malik Beasley), but those players wouldn't determine whether a team becomes a contender or not. Neither would the remaining restricted free agents, although that's a much more intriguing list (Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes, Cam Thomas).

And while we've had the annual Giannis Antetokounmpo speculation, those types of deals don't usually happen this late in the offseason (although there have been exceptions). And it's also been made abundantly clear that Antetokounmpo's preference has always been to remain in Milwaukee (although their current roster is a tough sell).

The Houston Rockets have had their most active offseason since General Manager Rafael Stone took over in 2020. Adding Kevin Durant was the offseason's biggest move, and they added Clint Capela, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Josh Okogie for depth.

Just how will it all shake out though? How much of an improvement should we expect?

The latest power rankings by Bleacher Report have the Rockets as the third-best team in the league -- a slight jump from their previous fourth-place rank. The rationale is below:

"Throughout "Kevin Durant trade rumors" season, the Houston Rockets looked like the team that would make the most sense for the soon-to-be-37-year-old all-timer.

And when the trade package that sent him there turned out to only be Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, a single first-round pick and several future second-rounders, the move looked like a genuine no-brainer for Houston.

The Rockets kept all of their best and most promising young players, including Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün. And they replaced one of their least consistent (Green) with one of the best three-level scorers in the league.

Brooks' defensive tenacity may be missed, but Thompson, Smith and Tari Eason should be to replace it (and then some)."

The Rockets will need to find long-range shooting, as their 35.3 percent long-range clip in 2024-25 ranked 21st, and they parted with Dillon Brooks, who was their best 3-point shooter last season -- making 39.7 percent from deep on 6.3 attempts per contest.

Overall, the Rockets' roster depth is undeniable. Sengun, Steven Adams, and Clint Capela might be the best ensemble of centers in the league, and the Rockets are loaded at the wing position (which made many question the Josh Okogie signing at the ninth hour).

The guard depth, however, is a little light, and they didn't do much to address that this summer.