NBA Power Rankings: Will Rockets Be Bottom-Dwellers Again?

Unless something drastic changes before opening night, expectations for the Rockets taking a leap next season aren't high.

The future is bright for the Houston Rockets, who will be led by a young core of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Kevin Porter Jr. and whoever they select with picks No. 3, 17 and 26 in the NBA Draft on June 23. The latter was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday evening in exchange for Christian Wood, in what many viewed as a win-win trade for both teams.

Although the young talent and potential is there, though, rebuilds are tough. You don't just magically go from having the worst record in the NBA to being a bonafide playoff contender in the stacked Western Conference overnight unless an established superstar is somehow acquired via trade.

On Friday, ESPN released its 'way-too-early' power rankings, and the Rockets were at No. 29. The only team Houston was ahead of was the Orlando Magic.

"It's still early in the Rockets' rebuild. Houston needs to land a franchise cornerstone with the No. 3 overall pick to pair with Jalen Green, who had a promising finish to his rookie year," writes Tim MacMahon. "There has been hope that Kevin Porter Jr. can be that type of player, but the Rockets are expected to approach his rookie extension talks with caution – if at all.

"After dealing Christian Wood to the Mavericks, Eric Gordon remains as a productive veteran whose best value to the Rockets is probably as trade bait."

Given how the Rockets performed this year, paired with the fact that they just traded away a guy who produced 18 points and 10 rebounds on 50 percent shooing from the field, including 39 percent from deep, it's easy to see why people would be skeptical of this team taking any significant leap this season. However, it wouldn't surprise us at all if the Rockets outperform these early power rankings and end up in that mid-to-early 20s instead – assuming Green takes the next step toward stardom.

---

You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rockets? Click here.

Follow Inside The Rockets on Twitter.

Listen to the latest Mavs Step Back Podcast, where Trigg and Matt Galatzan discuss the Christian Wood trade from both Dallas and Houston's perspectives: