In the latest edition of ESPN’s future power rankings, the Houston Rockets check in at No. 4 among the NBA’s 30 teams.
Published before each season, the rankings are intended to project on-court success over the next three seasons. To determine the rankings, a panel of ESPN analysts rates each team in five categories and ranks them relative to the rest of the league.
Via ESPN, a more detailed explanation is as follows:
We determined that the most important category is a team's current roster and the future potential of those players. That category accounts for 60% of each NBA team's overall future power rating, the 0-100 score each team receives to determine its overall ranking.
At the same time, we looked at each team's front office and coaching
staff (management; 11.67%), future draft assets (draft; 11.67%), a team's spending habits and cap situation (money; 11.67%) and the reputation of the city and franchise (market; 5%).
The Rockets came in at No. 6 in draft assets; No. 8 in market; No. 9 in players; and No. 13 in the financial and management categories.
Regarding Houston’s three-year outlook, ESPN’s Zach Kram writes:
Despite a fairly underwhelming 2025-26 campaign, Houston is still in strong position for this season and beyond. The Rockets have an enviable mix of high-upside youth and proven veterans — including Fred VanVleet returning from injury — and they've been one of the NBA's best front offices in terms of financial management, routinely saving money with firm negotiations on extensions. Add in an unprotected pick swap with the Brooklyn Nets next summer, and Houston could be back in business quite soon.
Additional perspectives are available in ESPN’s article. While it’s certainly possible that veterans such as VanVleet, Kevin Durant, and Steven Adams could decline in productivity over the next three years due to their ages, that could be offset by continued growth from Houston’s talented young core of recent first-round draft picks.
At the moment, that core features the likes of Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, and Alperen Sengun, already a two-time NBA All-Star. As ESPN alluded to, reinforcements in future drafts are potentially on the way, as well.
At No. 4 when all categories are averaged, Houston finished just ahead of the defending NBA champion New York Knicks, who came in fifth. The top-three teams are the Boston Celtics at No. 3 and the past two Western Conference champions at No. 2 and No. 1, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
What does your squad look like in the next three years? 👀 Who wins MVP? 🏆 What duos are breaking up? 💔
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 16, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Future power rankings: ESPN ranks Rockets at No. 4 among NBA’s 30 teams
