Early power rankings show Rockets haven’t caught on with the general public

The 2024 offseason hasn’t been much like last year’s, at least for the Houston Rockets. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite.

Last year, the Rockets made a splash in free agency, spending over $200 million on Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks while making Ime Udoka the highest-paid coach in team history. This offseason, the Rockets haven’t been active in free agency, as they’ve largely decided to return with the same roster as last season.

The latest power rankings by Sports news clearly shows that the Rockets have yet to truly win over the public. The Rockets came in 20th, just one spot ahead of the San Antonio Spurs and one spot behind the Los Angeles Lakers, who also had an uneventful offseason (aside from the 2024 NBA Draft).

Writer Stephen Noh gave his reasoning.

“The Rockets signed one of the NBA’s most college-capable shooters in Reed Sheppard. They got a free look at AJ Griffin thanks to the Hawks’ tax-evasion strategies. They haven’t done much else to change their roster, but their young players should improve a bit.”

The Rockets were placed in the “fringe playoff teams” category, joining the Golden State Warriors (17th), Sacramento Kings (18th), Lakers and Spurs.

If the Rockets are going to make a leap forward this season, it will clearly be because Jalen Green makes a leap forward and becomes a more consistent scorer. In other words, if Green can play the way he did in March (27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists) all season long, rather than the slow start that has plagued him nearly every year, the Rockets will have a much better chance of making the playoffs, as he still arguably has the most potential on the roster.

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