NBA Power Rankings: Where do the Houston Rockets land?

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

Some teams are comfortable with their place at the bottom. That's their sweet spot. Tanking teams are happy to rack up losses in pursuit of a top draft pick.

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

Where is their place in the league now? Ideally, they're working their way to the upper echelon.

ESPN isn't willing to put them there yet.

Houston Rockets rank in bottom third of the league

ESPN has the Rockets ranked 20th in their most recent power rankings.

Ironically, they say little about the present in their Rockets write-up. Instead, ESPN poses questions about their future. Some of those questions are extremely pressing.

"Which of the talented young players the Rockets have added over the past four drafts fit into Houston's long-term future? It's a particularly pressing question for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. The Rockets' two leading scorers from last season are extension eligible entering the final season of their rookie contracts. Will they be cornerstones for hard-nosed coach Ime Udoka? If not, they could be in future trade conversations, and the Rockets have deftly loaded up on future draft capital to position themselves to eventually take a big swing in the trade market"

- Tim McMahon, ESPN

These questions have been plaguing Rockets fans. With Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun eligible for rookie extensions, everyone is eager to find out if they'll be part of Houston's future.

Is ESPN underrating the team in the present?

Houston Rockets ranked appropriately in power rankings

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

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

Can we rightfully rank the Rockets ahead of any of those teams? The Heat are always a threat. The Clippers lost Paul George, but they still roster two recent MVP-caliber players in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Finally, the Lakers roster a player that some consider the best to ever play.

That said, the Rockets have an opportunity to overtake any of these teams in 2024-25. With some internal development - or a mid-season trade - they've got the potential to leap in the power rankings. For now, ESPN can only rank them relative to where they stand:

At least that isn't at the bottom of the league anymore.