Can Rockets Finally Get Over .500 Mark?

The Houston Rockets were 41-41 last season. Will they be above .500 in 2024-25?

Jeremy Brener | Aug 20, 2024

Apr 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have spent four straight seasons under the .500 mark, which is the longest such stretch in franchise history.

However, given the team's improvements from the offseason, Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes believes the Rockets will finish 44-38 for the upcoming campaign.

"On top of bringing back a loaded young core that includes Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr., Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, Houston has a bona fide Rookie of the Year contender in Reed Sheppard," Hughes writes. "On internal development alone, a three-win improvement almost seems like an overly conservative estimate for this group. But here again, we're dealing with the Western Conference. The Rockets could look meaningfully better in 2024-25 and still finish with a win total in the high 30s. Improvement in the NBA isn't always linear, particularly in terms of winning percentage."

A 44-win season would likely get the Rockets into the Play-In Tournament, and while that isn't the team's goal, it would be a step in the right direction and better than what Houston has been able to produce for the past few seasons.

They will battle in a tough Western Conference, but given the team's depth and developing upside in its younger players, Houston should be a team to watch rise up the standings when the season begins in October.

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Published Aug 20, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.