One Western Conference foe the Rockets can't afford to overlook

The Houston Rockets have arguably had the best offseason in the NBA. If one team has rivaled them, it might be the Denver Nuggets. The Rockets can't afford to overlook them.

The Rockets and Nuggets have some parallels. They're two of the only teams in the league to prominently feature a playmaking 5. That said, for all of Alperen Sengun's talents, Nikola Jokic is perhaps the best basketball player in the world.

That's what makes the Nuggets' improvements scary.

Rockets' rival boasts new look roster

Let's start with Denver's biggest move. They flipped Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick for Cameron Johnson.

That's a major upgrade. Johnson's Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of 3.1 decimates Porter Jr.'s -0.1. The most meaningful difference between them likely comes on the defensive end. Johnson is above average on that end, and Porter Jr. is a bit below.

It's worth noting the difference in three-point volume between them. They're both gifted shooters. Porter Jr. (39.5%) actually shot a hair better than Johnson from deep (39.0%) in 2024-25. That said, Johnson fired 7.2 attempts per game to Porter Jr.'s 6.4. That's a marginal difference, but Porter Jr.'s frequent forays into the midrange didn't suit Jokic as much as Johnson's three-point focus will.

On the subject of added shooting...

The Nuggets also added journeyman sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. His three-point gravity will open up the floor for the Nuggets. The combined shooting of that pair alone would be enough to celebrate Denver's summer, but they weren't done.

Reuniting with Bruce Brown makes sense. He had his best years in Denver. He understands the system, and his versatile skillset will be a huge addition for this club.

Oh, and Jonas Valanciunas might be the best backup Jokic has had in Denver. He averaged a staggering 20.0 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per 75 possessions in 2024-25. Stamina and defense have always limited Valanciunas' minutes, but as a backup, he'll allow Denver to keep a dynamic offensive presence at the 5. They could also pair Jokic and Valanciunas to combat the Rockets' double-big lineups.

How worried should the Rockets be?

Rockets must keep eyes on the prize

Everyone knows the Thunder will be the best team in the Western Conference next year. After them, the Rockets have an opportunity to shine. They've built a squad that could make an NBA Finals run should the Thunder suffer some bad injury luck:

But so have the Nuggets.

The battle for second place in the Western Conference ought to be fierce between these rivals. The Rockets have a deeper team, and can blugeon the Nuggets with positional size at every position. That said, the Nuggets have the best player between the two teams, and enough of their own depth as well:

The Rockets weren't the only team to improve their fortunes this summer.