Three Houston Rockets Ranked Top 25 Under 25

While four teams remain in the NBA playoffs -- though it will soon be the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, with both teams holding a 3-0 lead in their respective series -- offseason discourse is here.

The NBA Draft is less than a month away. Free agency is a mere two weeks after that. While the NBA Finals have yet to begin, it's no shock that the offseason discourse is running wild already.

Recently, The Ringer released their annual top 25 under 25, known as the best of the NBA's next generation, rankings. This list happened to feature three different Houston Rockets.

Now, this is further proof that the Rockets are in a unique situation. They've got this strong young core, but they've also got instant win-now contributors in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks -- all while hoisting the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Still, the Rockets' presence of strong young talents is a positive as they continue to look for their way back into the postseason. The Ringer listed both a reason for hope and a reason for doubt with both players.

With this, the top 25 rankings were kicked off with Jabari Smith Jr. ranking No. 25 among NBA players under 25. The 21-year-old second-year pro averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in an average of 31.9 minutes played.

"The 21-year-old forward can be a menace across the defensive spectrum, on the ball and off it, and his shooting ability (36 percent from 3 and 81 percent from the free throw line in 2023-24) suggests untapped offensive potential. Even if Smith doesn’t become a superstar, it’s easy to imagine him as a game-breaking role player on a championship team. That gets the people going, too," The Ringer wrote of Smith's upside.

The next of the three Rockets listed on the rankings was Jalen Green, who ranked No. 22 on the list. The 22-year-old guard averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

"Green has always had the ingredients for stardom: twitch, unpredictability, electrifying movement patterns, elite confidence, and hints of three-level scoring ability. After a tumultuous, inconsistent first four months of the season, Green finally put it all together in the final 17 games, putting up 24.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 38 percent accuracy from beyond the arc," The Ringer wrote.

The final stretch of the season saw Green put on a clinic, showing a jump he should have had to begin the season. Still, there's reason to believe there is more improvement coming for Green next season.

Finally, the third of the three Rockets on the list, and the highest ranked of the three, is Alperen Sengun, ranked No. 12. He averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game this season.

"Sengun’s third season saw him be a finalist for Most Improved Player, with major strides taken on both ends in a competitive, winning environment. He won’t ever be as good as Nikola Jokic but does a better job mimicking the world’s best player than anyone else, with more athleticism and organizational support than the three-time MVP had in his early 20s," The Ringer wrote.

The three players each have incredible upside, each being younger than 23-years-old. They've got the potential to continue growing together and meshing both on and off the court, something that will be crucial for Ime Udoka as he builds a roster of player that complement one another.

Safe to say, the Rockets have a bright future, even if they pushed their chips a little early to bring in two win-now guys an offseason ago.

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