Latest Power Rankings are Kind to Rockets, Although Major Weakness was Highlighted

Since the arrival of Ime Udoka in 2023, the Houston Rockets have typically not blown the doors off opponents offensively. They generally muck the game up and grind teams down, giving them a full-on defensive bloodbath for 48 minutes.

Most of the time, teams can't hang. In past years.

The Rockets generally win the turnover battle by taking care of the ball, which has been especially aided by Fred VanVleet.

Again, we're talking past years. And they've been able to ride the hot hand on a given night, by a myriad of different players.

This year's Rockets team doesn't fit that bill. At all.Quite the opposite, actually. The offense has largely led the way, ranking second-best in the league. The defense has been far and away the weak link.

They rank eighth now, but that's largely a by-product of a weaker slate of opponents. But the Rockets don't control the schedule, so that can't exactly be held against them.

In NBA insider Ricky O'Donnell's latest power rankings, however, the Rockets jumped to third overall, behind just the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.

O'Donnell explained his calculus.

"Houston’s offense is so much better than last year for a couple different reasons. The Rockets don’t take many threes, but they have the highest three-point percentage in the league right now. More importantly, this team is absolutely dominating the glass and getting to the free throw line at will. Kevin Durant has been really good so far, and it feels like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson could explode at any moment."

O'Donnell also explained the Rockets' reason for concern moving forward.

"The Rockets really need another ball handler after Fred VanVleet’s injury. Reed Sheppard has had his moments, but he’s not a high-level handler against pressure. The offense needs to generate more threes and stop turning the ball over so much, and it’s hard to do that without a true lead guard. Will there be a trade for one?"

The Rockets seem unlikely to land a legitimate point guard. There's not really a path to landing one without parting with a key rotational piece.

Can they afford to do that? Especially if just for a role player?

What's the other route? Them trading for a star point guard?

Is such a player available? If so, is that player also a system fit?

These answers will likely dictate how the Rockets' season will go.