NBA power rankings send alarming message Rockets can't ignore at trade deadline

The Houston Rockets, so far this season, have proven themselves to be genuine championship contenders despite any concerns that may have been had regarding the absence of Fred VanVleet, having posted a 9-1 record in their last ten games and emerged as one of the most potent offenses in the NBA.

Accordingly, The Athletic, in their recent NBA Power Rankings, has placed the Rockets in the tier of "Top Contenders", and they are joined by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.

This is elite company, but there is one crucial factor that separates Houston from this pack in a concerning way. While the rest of these teams are missing a crucial player due to injury, they will eventually get them back this season. The Rockets, meanwhile, have lost their starting point guard for the duration of the campaign.

The Rockets must be open-minded about acquiring a star at the deadline if the right opportunity presents itself

Injuries happen in the NBA, and the test of a true contender is their ability to weather the storm while one or more of their best players misses time. From this list alone, the Thunder are missing Jalen Williams, the Nuggets are missing Christian Braun, the Pistons are missing Jaden Ivey and the Knicks are missing Jalen Brunson.

So far, Houston has acclimated well to life without VanVleet, running its offense primarily through Sengun as the point center and dominating teams on the offensive boards. Yet, as the season wears on, these other contenders will be getting significant boosts from these players returning to injury.

The Rockets, on the other hand, have likely found their ceiling on offense already, at least from a production standpoint. Therefore, as well as things have worked so far, they must remain open-minded to a trade for a point guard if they are serious about contending this season.

The difficulty comes in which players are available in the first place. There have been rumblings around all three of Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant and Lamelo Ball, but are these the types of personalities and identities Houston wants to bring in?

Without even considering the financial implications (extensions for both Amen Thompson and Tari Eason are looming next offseason), these are moves that would potentially throw a wrench in the budding chemistry and staunch defensive identity of the current squad.

Yet, the job of any contending team is to size itself up against its opponents and make the necessary tweaks to surpass them. While the Rockets have made it work without VanVleet so far, they must ask themselves whether it will be enough to contend with the juggernauts of the NBA in whose company they have now been placed.