Shocking Rockets truth confirms Houston is a title contender

As the Houston Rockets have stumbled and then climbed to a 2-2 record, the team has certainly started to put together some semblance of an offensive flow, looking increasingly dangerous and cohesive on that end of the floor in their last two games.

Moreover, although it is undeniable that the team has struggled to find its spacing and its ultimate offensive look so far this season, a remarkable stat proves just how dangerous this team can be.

After four games, the Rockets lead the NBA in offensive rating with a mark of 125.2, and, if they can continue to find their footing in the absence of starting point guard Fred VanVleet, this team could look very, very different than they did a year ago.

The Rockets' offense could still be truly dangerous even without Fred VanVleet

When Houston lost starting point guard Fred VanVleet to a devastating ACL injury late this offseason, many fans and analysts had serious, and understandable, concerns as to the viability of their offense without a true point guard, even with the gravity-altering presence of Kevin Durant on the floor on a nightly basis.

In part, these concerns have played themselves out through the team's first four games.

Although Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard have both shown flashes of being capable ball-handlers, the team's ability to move the ball amidst pressure from opposing defenses has been sub-par, with the team averaging 16.5 turnovers per game so far.

Moreover, without the presence of VanVleet as an additional floor spacer, the team has needed to rely more on the somewhat inconsistent 3-point shooting of both Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. in order to keep the preferred size of their lineup viable.

At the same time, however, this offense has seemed to find its footing over the last two games. In dominant victories over the Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors, the team scored 137 and 139 points respectively, with all of their scorers getting in on the action in some way.

Although there have still been clear signs of the team's struggles, and these performances have come against weak defensive opponents, this is an excellent sign. Almost anyone would agree that this team has not yet found its final offensive form, and yet they are, currently, the best offensive team in the NBA through four games.

Just behind them in that category are the Philadelphia 76ers, who have surprised so far with a 4-0 record, and the Denver Nuggets, who are poised to challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Western Conference this season.

Therefore, while the team's weaknesses so far cannot be swept under the rug, this stat serves as a majorly encouraging sign of the ceiling of the team's offense this season: a development that could propel them back into championship contention.