Where do the Houston Rockets land?

Every NBA team is trying to find its place in the league.

Some teams are happy with their bottom spot. That’s their strength. Tanking teams are happy to take losses to get a top pick.

For a few years, it was the Houston Rockets. In case you missed it, the tank is over. The Rockets finished the 2023-24 season with a .500 record. They’re officially a competitive team.

Where do they fit into the league now? Ideally, they are moving up the ladder.

ESPN is not yet willing to put them there.

ESPN ranks the Rockets 20th in its most recent power rankings.

Ironically, they talk little about the present in their article on the Rockets. Instead, ESPN asks questions about their future. Some of these questions are extremely urgent.

“Which of the talented young players the Rockets have added over the past four drafts fit Houston’s long-term future? That’s a particularly pressing question for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. The Rockets’ top two scorers from last season are eligible for extensions heading into the final season of their rookie contracts. Will they be cornerstones for tough coach Ime Udoka? If not, they could be in future trade conversations, and the Rockets have shrewdly accumulated draft capital to position themselves for a potential big swing in the trade market.”

– Tim McMahon, ESPN

These are questions that are plaguing Rockets fans. With Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun eligible for rookie extensions, everyone is eager to find out if they will be part of Houston’s future.

Is ESPN underestimating the team right now?

To answer that question, we need to look at who is ranked ahead of the Rockets.

The Miami Heat are one spot ahead of them, at 19th. The Clippers come in at 18th and the Lakers come in at 17th.

Can we rank the Rockets ahead of any of these teams? The Heat are still a threat. The Clippers lost Paul George, but they still have two recent MVP-caliber players in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Finally, the Lakers have a player some consider the greatest player of all time.

That said, the Rockets have the opportunity to overtake any of these teams in 2024-25. With some internal development — or a midseason trade — they have the potential to jump up the power rankings. For now, ESPN can only rank them relative to their position:

At least we’re not at the bottom of the rankings anymore.