The Houston Rockets are predicted by ESPN’s summer prediction series to tie for third place in the 2026–27 Western Conference standings, according to a survey of its NBA insiders.Only the Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22) and San Antonio Spurs (62-20) are predicted to be ahead of the Rockets and Nuggets (51-31).
ESPN’s Michael C wrote: “The West goes through either Oklahoma City or San Antonio, but don’t count out Houston. The Rockets expect to take another step in Year 2 with Kevin Durant, bolstered
by the return of guard Fred VanVleet and continued improvements from Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard ,“
In the previous two regular seasons, the Rockets had a 52-30 record. Despite suffering major long-term injury losses in the form of Steven Adams and VanVleet, Houston finished 52-30 last season, spearheaded by the All-Star tandem of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. VanVleet and Adams are both anticipated to be healthy from the beginning of training camp this season. The addition of experienced guard Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović could strengthen the team’s depth as well.
Therefore, it may seem unrealistic to expect fewer victories than the previous season. However, the league’s recent draft lottery reform may result in much greater parity in 2026–2027, which should lessen the incentives for non-playoff teams to lose games.
In light of this, it’s conceivable that the Rockets could be a “better team” even though their win-loss record does not reflect it, at least in comparison to prior campaigns.
In all honesty, I feel that the West will definitely be a bloodbath next season, with San Antonio and OKC likely coming out on top. However, I personally expect the Rockets’ win total to improve rather than regress, and I have them slated for 55 wins in my personal standings. With that being said, what do you think about ESPN’s power rankings? Are the Rockets too high? Too low? Let us know!
