Western Conference NBA Teams Forecast to Maintain High Rankings According to ESPN Experts
The Houston Rockets have undergone a transformative offseason, positioning themselves as a legitimate championship contender for the 2025-26 NBA season.
Last season, Ime Udoka led one of the league's best defenses as the Rockets secured the Western Conference's second seed with a 52-30 record. Despite a first-round playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors, the 2024-25 season was considered a success.
In the summer of 2025, the Rockets made strategic moves to strengthen their roster. They acquired four key players: Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela, and Josh Okogie. The team also re-signed Fred VanVleet, Jae'Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday, and Jeff Green. This mix of veteran and versatile players aims to provide a significant boost for the upcoming season.
Fred VanVleet carried much of the scoring load for the Rockets in the 2025 playoffs, averaging 14.1 points per game. However, the addition of Durant, a future Hall of Famer, provides the team with a reliable closer for crunch time situations.
The Rockets' roster has also seen an influx of experienced players, which is expected to improve overall poise. Alperen Sengun, who earned his first All-Star selection during the 2024-25 season, will continue to provide a strong offensive presence.
ESPN's panel of NBA insiders have projected the Rockets to finish the 2025-26 season with a record of 54-28. Tim MacMahon, an ESPN analyst, explained that the optimism for the Rockets is due to their strong performance in the 2024-25 season and the addition of Durant to address their roster's glaring hole - a go-to guy.
With the Houston Rockets expected to be one game ahead of the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings, and the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder projected to have a better record, the 2025-26 season promises to be an exciting one for Rockets fans. The team enters the season not just as a playoff team, but as a legitimate championship contender, due to their balance of young talent, defensive strength, and newfound scoring punch.
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