NBA Power Rankings: Rockets surge in recent rankings

It's been a fun 2024-25 season for fans of the Houston Rockets.

Are you not enjoying yourself? What's wrong with you? The Rockets are one of the best teams in the NBA. If they aren't exceeding your expectations, you should be asking yourself about the way you view life. This year has so far been an unmitigated success for the Rockets.

The league is on notice. NBA.com just released its new power rankings. The Rockets are ranked higher than anyone would have thought they'd be at this point in the season:

Unless you're an entirely unreasonable person.

Rockets soar in new power rankings

The Rockets came in fifth. Per NBA.com, the only teams that should be ranked ahead of them right now are the Cavaliers, Warriors, Thunder, and Celtics.

"After a 1-2 start to the season, the Rockets have won nine of their last 11 games, with the only losses coming to the two top teams in the Western Conference (Golden State and Oklahoma City)"

-John Schuhmann, NBA.com

The Rockets are making hay on the defensive end of the floor. As Schuhmann points out, the Rockets are holding opponents to just 98.1 points per 100 possessions. Head coach Ime Udoka is known for his defensive principles, and the Rockets' roster is built to prevent points. That's been their identity in 2024-25.

Schuhmann identifies another one of the Rockets' quirks. The team is dead last in the NBA in passes per game (290 per 24 minutes of possession). The Rockets are playing well, but it's an ugly brand of basketball.

Is this a sustainable way to win?

Rockets need to maintain focus

It's not a viable way to secure an NBA championship. That's fine. The Rockets won't be in the running for the title this year. They need to be getting ahead of what's going to be a grueling Western Conference playoff race. That's the goal in 2024-25 - a playoff berth.

On that standard, this feels sustainable. If the Rockets remain one of the best defensive teams in basketball, they'll keep winning regular season outings. With a platoon of hyper-athletic defensive wings, the Rockets should be able to maintain that pace.

That said, the Rockets could stand to vary their offensive tactics. More ball movement could lead to increased offensive efficiency. Currently, Houston's 114.1 Offensive Rating ranks 11th in the NBA.

That number is buoyed by the team's second-ranked 35.5% offensive rebounding percentage. The Rockets must continue to crash the boards, but it's hard to imagine that offensive rebounding alone will continue to carry a high-level offense:

Even for the sunniest optimist.