The Houston Rockets have had a surge after opening the season 0-2. Since back-to-back losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons, they’ve gone 7-1 and claimed the top offensive rating in the NBA at 123.1.
The Rockets are certainly benefiting from Kevin Durant, who is averaging 24.6 points per game on 49-42-87 shooting splits, but the success is as a team. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson are putting up similar, if not better, stats than last season. Key rotation players such as Reed Sheppard and Josh Okogie have stepped up in the absence of Fred VanVleet.
Aside from an 11-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Houston is hot right now. However, so are plenty of other Western Conference teams, which has resulted in the team placing fourth in the standings. In Bleacher Report’s latest NBA power rankings from Andy Bailey, the Rockets slide from No. 2 to No. 3.
“The Houston Rockets are bludgeoning their way to the best offensive rating in the league, the most second-chance points per game and, by far, the best offensive rebounding percentage,” Bailey wrote.
“In Wednesday’s win alone, Houston grabbed 20 of its 45 misses. Steven Adams had five offensive boards in 17 minutes. Alperen Şengün added another five.
“It looked, as it often does, like the Rockets, when challenged in an individual possession, could simply send the ball toward the rim and have plenty of confidence that they’ll come away with it.”
The Denver Nuggets have jumped Houston, with the surge of Nikola Jokic. A recent 55-point, 12-rebound outburst against the LA Clippers pushed them to 9-2 on the season, with the Serbian center a potential MVP favorite, per usual.
“There are only four players in NBA history (Doc Rivers, Magic Johnson, Draymond Green and Michael Jordan) who managed a single game with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and a 77 true shooting percentage,” Bailey wrote. “Jokić has done it for roughly an eighth of the season.”
There’s still plenty of basketball to be played, and the Rockets’ offensive stats could subside soon. However, it’s hard not to be excited about how they’re scoring the ball. Houston is still stopping the ball well, ranking seventh in defensive rating (112.1).
But on the other side of the floor, the team is scoring at a more efficient rate. A lot of that can be attributed to Durant’s arrival and the development of the young core.
