With the start of the new season, there are three very strong young teams in the league, one is the Magic in the East, which has now won nine in a row and is firmly in second place in the East, and the other two are the Thunder and Rockets in the West.
The Houston Rockets are now 8-8 in ninth place in the West. Such a ranking must be a slap in the face for a lot of the first place before the start of the season. The Rockets, who were not favored before, have now become a team that even Western teams don't want to meet.
Will the Rockets finally make it to the playoffs this season?
If the Rockets can solve two major problems, then the playoffs are for sure. One is the problem of substitute centre-forwards. Landale was really weak, with no rebounds on the inside, no three-pointers on the outside, and his performance on the court was a disaster. The second is to come off the bench as a shooting guard. However, the Rockets still have Oladipo who is recovering from injury, and if Audi, who has returned from injury, can play an average of 15+ per game, then the Rockets will be more competitive!
With the Rockets becoming more and more proficient in cooperation, and having spent the most difficult December of the season, the schedule behind the Rockets this season will be relatively simple, the ranking will be further improved, and there should be no problem in the playoffs!