Houston nearly beat the Warriors last postseason in a thrilling seven-game series. They have accrued so many young players over the last handful of years in their rebuild after James Harden left, and last year’s playoff exit signaled the need for a change. Jalen Green was the obvious candidate to be shipped out, and that is exactly what they did. It was obvious they needed scoring, so they went and got the best scorer they could get: Kevin Durant.
Now the expectation is a championship. Durant is 37
but as efficient as ever. He is surrounded by young talent and enough defense to allow his sole responsibility to be putting the ball in the basket. The Rockets are desperate to get back to the NBA Finals after years of underwhelming results, and Durant has a chance to win a ring void of “superteam” labels. This is a big pairing for the two parties, and one that comes with a lot of pressure.
Houston Rockets: Over/Under 52.5 Wins (-105/-115)
Last Season: 52-30
Additions: Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Okogie
Losses: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet (injury)
The Rockets are going to be very good. Durant completes that team in a sort of poetic way, and Ime Udoka is a fantastic coach. Unfortunately, they lost point guard Fred VanVleet to injury before the season began, so Amen Thompson will be forced into a much larger role. They have a similar roster to the Mavericks, with a plethora of forwards and a collection of big men. Their issue without VanVleet, much like Dallas, is finding enough ball-handling to make the offense work. Unless Reed Sheppard is a revelation, 53 wins a bit too high for the way the Rockets are constructed.
