Could Rockets Make NBA Playoffs Outright?

The Houston Rockets are still looking for their first postseason berth since James Harden was traded from the squad.

Feb 25, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are soon set to return to the hardwood to kick of training camp. Their media day takes place in a day then it's time for the team to buckle down and get fully prepared for a long NBA season.

The Rockets are looking to find their way back into the playoffs. That's where the organization's priority is right now. How they make their return to the postseason -- which they haven't done since before James Harden was traded in 2021 -- has yet to be seen.

With a current core built around Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun, the team certainly has depth. Outside of players like VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams, the rotational players are quite young.

So, could the Rockets return to the playoffs this season? Following a 41-41 season, which ended with a strong couple of months of play, it seems they're a pre-season lock to make the Play-In Tournament, though plenty can change between now and the end of the regular season.

Can they make the playoffs outright, though? To do so, they'd have to secure a top-six seed in the Western Conference. That's a tall task for a club that finished No. 11 a season ago. Not many more teams will be entering the tanking race, so the middle of the pack will be loaded.

The No. 6 through No. 12 seeds will be heavily contested in the Western Conference. The margin of error is very small for those teams. Consistency will be needed and Houston will need to remain relatively healthy to give them an advantage if they want to content for that No. 6 seed to make the playoffs outright.

Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will need to be efficient and on the same page out of the gate. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks will need to constantly raise the team's ceiling. The rest of the young core needs to develop naturally and mold into a team that can play together.

There are plenty of moving parts, but it's very unlikely the Rockets are in the playoffs outright -- meaning a top-six seed in the Western Conference -- but don't write off a Play-In Tournament appearance.

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