Any prediction having the Rockets outside the top 8 in the West assumes that Harden is outa here. Harden and this bunch , if healthy would probably be in the top 2 in the conference. I don't see any team aside from the Lakers that are as talented.
https://www.nba.com/news/powerrankings-2020-21-week-1 14. Last Week: 7 ↓ Houston Rockets 2019-20 record: 44-28 Pace: 104.0 (2) OffRtg: 112.5 (6) DefRtg: 109.8 (15) NetRtg: +2.7 (7) John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins looked pretty good in their returns from 23 and 18 months off, respectively. The college teammates revived their pick-and-roll game to get Wall going downhill (Example 1, Example 2) in Chicago. Eric Gordon (effective field goal percentage of 65%) looked really good after struggling last season. Christian Wood scored 27 points in just 24 preseason minutes. The Rockets' new offense under coach Stephen Silas featured more movement, more screens for James Harden, and some creative sets to keep defenses on their toes. Alas, it seems that we're all just waiting for Harden to be traded and wondering what the Rockets will look like after that. In the meantime, it's hard to know how hard and cohesively they'll play given the cloud that's hanging over them. The offense had some real pop in the preseason, and maybe that carries over to the games that count. But how much will they care on the other end of the floor? They face two of last season's top five offenses (those of the Blazers and Nuggets) in their first three games. Week 1: vs. OKC, @ POR
https://www.theringer.com/2020/12/17/22179397/nba-power-rankings-part-1 https://www.theringer.com/2020/12/21/22192681/nba-preseason-power-rankings-part-2
I've heard from a reputable source that knows what they're talking about and the Rockets are going to trade Bol Bol and Murray for Harden. Did I say Bol Bol? That's impossible and silly. I meant to say Michael Porter Jr. and I often mix them up because they sound the same in my brain. That being said, why are the internet people ranking the Rockets so low? We're gonna get Bol Bol.
538s simulation has us 4th in the West and 7th overall. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2021-nba-predictions/ It would be working on the assumption Harden plays in Houston. Interesting are the win projections for Harden's preferred destinations Boston +2, Philly +1, Brooklyn -4
But they don’t really. They’re all like “will John wall or cousins be any good? Will harden stay?” They question it but they don’t say that the ranking is based on him leaving. And it makes no sense to rank a team on the assumption that something will happen during the next 3 months before trade deadline. But w/e I like being the underdog and not talked about. I don’t like the disrespect and moronic projections though.
MOVING UP BABY!!! https://www.nba.com/news/powerrankings-2020-21-week-3 18 Last Week: 22 ↑ Houston Rockets Record: 2-2 Pace: 101.4 (18) OffRtg: 110.8 (12) DefRtg: 111.8 (22) NetRtg: -1.0 (16) The first possession in John Wall’s first regular-season game with the Rockets was not good. Wall ran a pick-and-roll with Christian Wood, De’Aaron Fox went under the screen, everyone stood around, and Wall’s late-clock iso produced a mid-range jumper that clanged off the front of the rim. Things turned around from there, though. In two wins over the Kings, Wall looked quick and explosive in totaling 50 points and 15 assists. One key bucket in the Thursday game was a sprint up the middle of the floor, capped by very John-Wall-esque wrong-foot finish over Cory Joseph. Both Wall and James Harden (who missed the Saturday win with an ankle injury) have quickly learned that Christian Wood (26-for-31 in the restricted area) is an adept lob catcher. Even with a new coach, the Rockets still have issues with transition defense. The first half of the Thursday game against the Kings was particularly bad in that regard, as they let Marvin Bagley go coast-to-coast for a drop-off assist (with a classic Harden transition-defense, steal-attempt lunge), gave up an easy lob after a score on the other end, and let Cory Joseph drive for an and-one after another score. They did seem to do a better job getting back in the second half, and if they can do that more consistently, they’d make things a lot easier on themselves. At this point, only the Spurs have allowed more fast break points per 100 possessions. Week 3: vs. DAL, @ IND, vs. ORL, vs. LAL
belated. may be the highest we'll be for a while https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-4 23 Last Week: 18 ↓ Houston Rockets Record: 3-5 Pace: 100.4 (21) OffRtg: 110.8 (12) DefRtg: 110.9 (21) NetRtg: -0.1 (15) The Rockets have reduced their isolations from 22.6 (last season) to 13.5 possessions per game, replacing them mostly with pick-and-rolls. Per Second Spectrum tracking, Christian Wood has set almost twice as many ball screens for James Harden per 36 minutes on the floor together (26.0) as Clint Capela did last season (13.7). But a screen being set for Harden more often doesn’t mean that the Rockets have turned into the 2014 Spurs. Houston is in the bottom four in both ball movement (313 passes per 24 minutes of possession, 27th) and player movement (10.4 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession, 30th) for the fourth straight season, having seen a small jump in the former and a small drop in the latter. Harden has seen a reduction in his time of possession and a jump in the percentage of his shots that have been assisted (from 15% to 24%). But he hasn’t exactly turned into Mr. Catch-and-Shoot, still leading the league in pull-up 3-point attempts per game. And over the last three games Harden has been relatively quiet, averaging just 16.7 points on just 13.7 field goal attempts (with only nine total free throw attempts). Part of that is the attention he gets from opposing defenses, but if you just started watching the Rockets recently, you might think that Christian Wood is their best player. The changes to the offense haven’t had a great effect. The Rockets rank 12th offensively, not good enough considering how bad their defense has been outside of a couple of wins over the Kings and Magic. They’ve scored just 103.2 points per 100 possessions in 130 minutes with Harden and John Wall on the floor together. Week 4: vs. LAL, @ SAS, @ SAS
https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-5 24 Last Week: 23 ↓ Houston Rockets Record: 4-7 Pace: 100.7 (16) OffRtg: 107.5 (20) DefRtg: 109.7 (16) NetRtg: -2.1 (20) It’s a new day (yes, it is) in Houston. The Rockets got a slew of picks and swaps in exchange for James Harden, but the “young talent” aspect of the trade was obviously underwhelming. Victor Oladipo will help them defensively and they still have a relatively competent group of vets, but that group is currently banged up and sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference. The Rockets have scored less than a point per possession in three of their last four games. Undrafted rookies Jae’Sean Tate and Mason Jones took advantage of the injuries (and trade-related absences) last week. Tate had 10 assists and some deft finishes in the paint in the Rockets’ win in San Antonio on Thursday. Two nights later, Jones scored 24 points (shooting 6-for-8 from 3-point range) in a loss in the same building. The Rockets have three of the 11 undrafted rookies who have played at least 15 total minutes this season. Oladipo is set to make his Rockets debut in Chicago on Monday, but John Wall (the only real point guard on the roster beyond the out-for-the-season Chris Clemons) remains out. So Oladipo may be running the offense after one practice with his new team. Week 5: @ CHI, vs. PHX, @ DET, @ DAL
movin' on up https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-7 16 Last Week: 22 ↑ Houston Rockets Record: 9-9 Pace: 101.7 (8) OffRtg: 108.8 (20) DefRtg: 106.9 (4) NetRtg: +1.8 (12) The Rockets have gone from 4-9 to 9-9 with a five-game winning streak in which they’ve allowed just a point per possession. They now have the league’s No. 1 defense (102.8 allowed per 100) since the James Harden trade and, while a big part of that improvement is opponent 3-point shooting (which can be random), they’ve also protected the rim and rebounded a little better. They were dead last in defensive rebounding percentage at the time of the trade, but are 16th over the last 18 days. Though they’ve combined for 33 assists and just 11 turnovers in their three games together, the offense has not been great (102.1 points scored per 100 possessions) in the 65 minutes in which John Wall and Victor Oladipo have shared the floor. But things picked up on that end when Christian Wood returned from a three-game absence on Thursday and shot 19-for-25 in wins over the Blazers and Pelicans. Wood is shooting an amazing 82% in the restricted area (best among 57 players with at least 75 restricted-area attempts). Only one of the Rockets’ nine games since the Harden trade (their win over the shorthanded Blazers on Thursday) has come against a team that currently ranks higher than 13th offensively. So tougher tests for that improved defense await. They’re just not necessarily coming this week, with the Thunder, Grizzlies and Spurs ranking 27th, 24th and 18th on offense. Week 7: @ OKC, @ OKC, @ MEM, vs. SAS
solidly in the middle of the pack https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-8 15 Last Week: 16 ↑ Houston Rockets Record: 11-11 Pace: 102.0 (7) OffRtg: 108.5 (23) DefRtg: 106.2 (2) NetRtg: +2.4 (9) Eric Gordon has been a bright spot for the Rockets, averaging a team-high 23.3 points per game on 53% shooting in February. His effective field goal percentage of 57.0% is a career-best mark and up from 47.3% last season. He seemingly had nowhere to go but up after that rough year, but that’s one of the biggest jumps in the league. Still offense has been a struggle. The Rockets’ 87 points on 108 possessions against the Thunder’s 19th-ranked defense on Wednesday was the third least efficient game for any team this season. It came with 21 turnovers, and the Rockets rank 28th in turnover rate (15.7 per 100 possessions) since the James Harden trade. Now, they’re without their most prolific and most efficient scorer, losing Christian Wood to an ankle (re)injury on Thursday. The Rockets are entering an easier stretch of schedule. Their next five (and nine of their next 11) games are against teams with losing records, and they’ll have a rest advantage in three of those five. Week 8: @ CHA, @ NOP, vs. MIA, @ NYK
Feels too high right now. The next couple of weeks are not looking promising. Injuries and strange load management have shone a light on a huge need for a C2 and a PG2.
Likely be stumbling down the staircase, grab the rail and pull ourselves up a step, and then stumble down some more. Losing Wood has us looking for a lumberyard, and we never know when the carpenters will show up, much less if they can hit a nail when they do. All that and the foreman’s looking for the blueprint.
we're running out of room at the bottom https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-9 24 Last Week: 15 ↓ Houston Rockets Record: 11-15 Pace: 101.3 (9) OffRtg: 107.2 (25) DefRtg: 108.2 (4) NetRtg: -1.0 (19) The Rockets have seen the league’s third biggest drop in the percentage of their shots that have come from 3-point range, from 50.1% last season to 46.3% this season. But that 46.3% still ranks second and, having seen one of the league’s biggest jumps in turnover rate along with drops in free throw rate and offensive rebounding percentage, they’re still relatively dependent on those 3-pointers. So a stretch of five straight games in which they’ve made less than third of their attempts from beyond the arc, capped by an 8-for-43 performance in New York on Saturday, has resulted in a five-game losing streak. After winning three straight corner 3 championships, P.J. Tucker ranks 11th with just 22 corner 3-pointers this season. He just wasn’t shooting many through January (2.3 attempts per 36 minutes, down from 3.4 last season), and he’s just 6-for-22 on corner 3s this month with an increase in volume. Danuel House (7-for-36 over the losing streak) has seen the seventh biggest drop in 3-point percentage (from 36.3% to 27.3%) among 178 players with at least 100 attempts last season and at least 50 this season. The Rockets haven’t been able to take advantage of a soft stretch of schedule and remain banged up. Victor Oladipo began last week by blowing by an old friend for an explosive dunk, but finished on the shelf, having suffered a right foot injury on Thursday. Week 9: @ WAS, @ PHI, vs. DAL, vs. IND
we're almost there https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-10 27 Last Week: 24 ↓ Houston Rockets Record: 11-17 Pace: 102.0 (4) OffRtg: 107.1 (25) DefRtg: 108.5 (4) NetRtg: -1.5 (21) The Rockets remain banged up and shooting poorly. Before they had two weekend games postponed, P.J. Tucker saw his consecutive-games streak (which reached 267) come to an end. Victor Oladipo has missed three straight games with a foot injury, and Ray Spalding tore his Achilles just three days after signing a two-way contract. The Rockets’ losing streak is at seven games, with the team having shot less than 32% from 3-point range in all seven. DeMarcus Cousins has remained healthy, but will reportedly seek employment elsewhere, and it will be fascinating to see if the former All-Star can secure a rotation role on a playoff team. Cousins isn’t much of a force inside, having shot just 44% in the restricted area, the worst mark among 182 players with at least 50 restricted-area attempts. He’s taken more than half of his shots from 3-point range for the first time in his career, but has shot just 33.6% from beyond the arc. One thing he’s done well is rebound. His defensive rebounding percentage of 30.8% is a career-high mark and ranks second (behind another very available center) among 287 players who’ve averaged at least 15 minutes in 15 games or more. The Rockets rank 26th in defensive rebounding percentage as a team, but have a much higher mark with Cousins on the floor (74.5%) than they do with him off the floor (70.5%). The two longest losing streaks in the league this season could be going head-to-head in Cleveland on Wednesday. Week 10: vs. CHI, @ CLE, @ TOR, vs. MEM
how the mighty have fallen "Apparently, Christian Wood, who has missed all of the losing streak and is a plus-42 for the season, is the most valuable player in the league. " https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-11 29 Last Week: 27 ↓ Houston Rockets Record: 11-21 Pace: 101.9 (3) OffRtg: 105.8 (26) DefRtg: 109.9 (10) NetRtg: -4.1 (24) The Rockets’ offense ranked last in February, scoring a paltry 102.0 points per 100 possessions, 10.6 fewer than the league average. And they capped the month by shooting 4-for-45 (9%) from 3-point range in a 49-point loss to the Grizzlies. 4 for 45. And that was with Justin Patton making as many 3s (he was 2-for-4) as he’d made in his career (he was drafted in 2017) prior to Sunday. Their 11-game losing streak is the longest in the league this season and already includes a loss to the Cavs, who snapped their 10-game streak a night before beating the Rockets last week. Cleveland’s defense ranked 29th in February, but it held Houston to just 96 points on 94 possessions, even though the Rockets had their season low for turnovers (seven). Apparently, Christian Wood, who has missed all of the losing streak and is a plus-42 for the season, is the most valuable player in the league. The Rockets’ most-used lineup this season has played just 58 minutes and includes James Harden, who was traded more than six weeks ago. Week 11: vs. CLE, vs. BKN
