The Rockets could emerge from a weak in-season tournament group

Do you care about the NBA's in-season tournament?

No? You're not alone. Yes? Guess what - you're not alone either. Some fans feel that the addition of the in-season tournament is superfluous, while others think it's a welcomed dynamic to the season.

If you're a Houston Rockets fan, you'd probably love to see your team win the tournament. The team's NBA championship odds are, to put it politely, low. Why not make a run for the in-season cup?

With the league having revealed the tournament's groups, the Rockets' odds of making that run feel a bit stronger.

Houston Rockets in-season group tournament revealed

The Rockets are in the Western Conference's Group A. The other teams in that group are the Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, and Trail Blazers.

That's not a particularly strong group. If the Rockets aren't better than the Blazers this year, something has gone horribly wrong. There's a lot of young talent in Portland, but they're much further behind in the rebuilding process than the Rockets.

Could the Rockets surpass the Clippers this year? It feels possible to us. Having lost Paul George, their roster has been undeniably downgraded this summer.

By contrast, the Kings arguably made an upgrade. Adding DeMar DeRozan certainly improved their talent level. Still, the Kings will have to answer questions about his ability to play alongside a fellow non-shooter and weak defender like Domantas Sabonis.

As for the Timberwolves...

Houston Rockets won't be favorites in their group

The Timberwolves will be heavily favored to win the group.

Let's not be delusional. The Wolves were a juggernaut in 2023-24. There's no reason to assume they won't be strong in 2024-25. The safe money is on them being a better team than the Rockets next season.

Still, the Rockets should be strong enough to beat them in a game. They won't be favored to escape their group, but we like their odds. By comparison, Group C is a gauntlet featuring the Thunder, Mavericks, and Grizzlies. The Rockets avoided that group of death and landed in a pool that they'll have a chance to emerge from:

If that's something you care about.