Houston Rockets: 7th Seed
The Houston Rockets are coming off a disappointing season in which their sights were set on a title, but they fell short at the hands of the Warriors once again even with the lack of Kevin Durant. In mid-June the Rockets made one of the loudest moves of the offseason in acquiring Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul and a handful of picks.
The rest of the team remains the same. James Harden is the primary option with shooters Eric Gordon and Gerald Green sitting off-ball while Clint Capela as a lob option off the pick and roll. P.J. Tucker remains a crucial player on the defensive side of the ball and a marksman from the corners, making him a hard player to take off the court.
The obvious issue for this Houston Rockets team is the fact that the sport of basketball is played with only one ball. The addition of Westbrook looks fantastic on paper but the fit remains questionable at best. Both Harden and Westbrook have built their playstyle around having the ball in their hands as much as possible. This Rockets backcourt is set to implode if neither of the former MVPs decide to take a step back.
Strictly due to an enormous amount of natural talent, there is no chance this team manages to miss the playoff. But there is going to be some rocky moments when the identity of this team is questioned. This roster is as explosive as any in the league and some nights will look incredible, but for every amazing night, there will be a night where it looks like a total disaster.
The top two leaders in turnovers per game last season now start in the backcourt for the Rockets. Westbrook has driven two superstars away in Kevin Durant and Paul George so what’s going to change with James Harden. James Harden is without a doubt the worst fit out of the three superstars for Russell Westbrook because he’s by far the most ball dominant amongst the three.
This Rockets team is very exciting and pose a lot of questions entering the 2019-20 NBA season and nobody can wait to see this team in action. They are a lock to make the playoffs simply based on the plethora of talent this roster has, but shouldn’t post a real threat to contend with the top of the Western Conference come playoff time.