Rockets continue to take painfully deserved disrespect in latest power rankings

As the Houston Rockets enter the season, by far their biggest challenge will be coping with the loss of starting point guard Fred VanVleet: a trial in which their success hinges upon the ability of young guards Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard to step into his role.

Now, in ESPN's latest NBA power rankings, as laid out by Kevin Pelton's model to predict team wins, the Rockets sit fifth in the Western Conference, with VanVleet's injury being named as the primary reason for this drop.

While it remains to be seen whether Houston can revive its offense around their acquisition of superstar scorer Kevin Durant and repeat their regular season performance from last year, the painful truth is that, for now, this uncertainty means that this ranking is deserved.

Analysts will continue to underrate the Rockets for now

Heading into the season, the Rockets were widely considered to be among the second tier of title contenders in the NBA, with their energetic defense potentially pairing with a rejuvenated offensive front to form a dangerous, dangerous team come playoff time.

While teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets make up the upper echelon of contenders this season, the Rockets, prior to the VanVleet injury, were considered to be riding their tails in both their potential for dominant regular season performance and a deep playoff run.

Now, with VanVleet's injury and the team's general deficit of depth in the backcourt taken into account, Pelton's model has dropped the Rockets below both the Los Angeles Clippers and almost a full six wins behind the Nuggets. As Pelton writes, "The gap was exacerbated, however, once VanVleet was injured. The Rockets' line has moved only a game from where it opened, and as I noted in the analysis of the injury, Houston's projection dropped by nearly four wins without the rock-solid point guard."

From a moderate standpoint, this drop makes perfect sense. In addition to the veteran leadership VanVleet has provided to this team, he was also their most reliable facilitator, and his presence in the offense would have opened up a number of shots each game for players like Durant and Alperen Sengun.

On the other hand, the Rockets have such immense rotational versatility that it is still possible that they overcome this loss. If Thompson and Sengun can take the next steps in their games as playmakers, this gap (which statistically is not insurmountable) can be plugged rather quickly.

Given the size and the strength that Houston will now be able to put on the court, it is quite possible that they surprise everyone this season. For now, however, the Rockets will remain relative underdogs in the eyes of analysts and for good reason.