Houston Rockets: 3 bold predictions for the 2019-20 season

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Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets talks with James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. The Rockets will finish with the best record in the NBA

With all of the elite teams in the west, along with Milwaukee and Philadelphia in the east, this is definitely the boldest prediction. However, finishing the season with the league’s best record is definitely within the realm of possibility for the Rockets.

Houston kept the same core they had last year but upgraded at the point guard position with Russell Westbrook, who is both more durable and can play more minutes per game than Chris Paul. Not to mention, Westbrook is a nightly triple-double threat, and the Thunder won 24 of their 34 games when Russ finished with a triple-double last season.

Add to that the prolific scoring from James Harden, the defense and 3-point shooting from Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker, and the vertical spacing, athleticism and rim-protection of Clint Capela and you have a very stacked team.

Not to mention, a lot of people have seemed to forget about Danuel House Jr. after he struggled in the playoffs, but he showed a lot of potential after averaging 9.4 points on 41.6 percent shooting last season. He is the most overlooked player on Houston’s bench and I think he could have a breakout season next year.

Next. 3 goals for James Harden in 2019-20 season

Of course, having the best regular season record isn’t the main goal for Houston, because it means nothing if they don’t win a championship. However, in such a loaded Western Conference, having home court advantage throughout the entire postseason will obviously give the Rockets a big advantage on their quest for a championship.