8. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets come in at No. 8, as they should make the playoffs once again.
The Rockets lost Dwight Howard, who departed to the Atlanta Hawks. The pairing of Howard and James Harden wasn’t able to bring the results Houston hoped for when they signed Howard. Still though, the loss of Howard should be felt on the defensive end for the Rockets this season.
Whereas some teams have built through the draft, Houston’s roster relies on mostly veterans. Joining Harden is Nenê, Ryan Anderson, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, and others.
The Rockets are also quite high on Donatas Motiejūnas, who at just 25 should have plenty of good basketball ahead of him.
The Rockets, led by Harden, should have enough talent to return to the playoffs. But it will be interesting to see how things change as Mike D’Antoni takes over the reigns as head coach. Will D’Antoni be able to get the most out of this roster?
With the way the Western Conference has evolved recently, Houston likely won’t be considered one of the top teams, like they once were. Nevertheless, James Harden is still a force to be reckoned with and Houston can rely on him.
Next: No. 7