Rockets young core looks even more dominant after recent rankings

Even after acquiring Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets have one of the best young cores in the NBA. CBS Sports recently acknowledged that. They put two Rockets on their list of the top 25 players under 25 in terms of potential in the league.

You can probably guess who they were.

Amen Thompson ranked 8th on the list. Alperen Sengun came in at 10th. This is something Rockets fans should celebrate, but it won’t come without controversy.

Fans of the team can probably guess what the source of that controversy will be as well.

Rockets’ Alperen Sengun remains underrated

To his credit, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn seems to understand.

“Sengun is the most polarizing player among the top 10, even among NBA decision-makers. His supporters cite his interior skill, playmaking from the 5 spot, and surprising durability. His doubters the limited athleticism, lack of defensive versatility, and rim protection”

- Sam Quinn, CBS Sports

Fair. Who can say what other people are saying? Perhaps Sengun still has a sizeable group of doubters:

But he shouldn’t.

That said, potential is hard to quantify. The players ranked ahead of Sengun all have a chance to be stars. If anything, it speaks to the depth of talent in the league. If Sengun wants to prove CBS Sports wrong, he’ll have an opportunity.

For that matter, so will Thompson. His 8th place ranking feels fair, but he could exceed that status. Still, the broader point for the Rockets isn’t the placement of either:

It’s the placement of both.

Rockets young core among best in the league

The Rockets aren’t the only team with two or more players on this list. The Spurs (Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle), Hornets (LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller), and other teams have multiple players. Still, none have a duo that’s collectively ranked as highly as the Rockets:

Oh, besides the Thunder.

As always, the spectre of Oklahoma City looms large. They have the best young core in the NBA. To claim otherwise would be indicative of homer-dom.

Otherwise, the Rockets are right there. They’ve got as much potential (or more) than any team in the league. It should also be noted that several young Rockets could have – but didn’t – made this list. It’s fair to say Josh Giddey has more potential than Tari Eason, but if the Bulls called about a trade, the Rockets would hang up.

Eason is a perfect compliment to one of the best young cores in the NBA.