Inside The Rockets

Rockets Acing Start of Season

The Houston Rockets have excelled in the first fraction of the season.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets are off to a great start with a 17-9 record through 26 games.

While the latest matchup came in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Rockets made it to the NBA Cup semifinal, a sign that they can compete with the best in the Western Conference.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale graded all 30 teams in the league from the start of the season to now and gave the Rockets an "A" for their efforts.

"The Houston Rockets are disemboweling pretty much every rush-to-coronate concern that ever existed," Favale writes. "The overarching product is lightyears ahead of schedule—not so much one star away as one complementary-shooter-good-enough-to-crack-the-rotation away."

The reason behind the success has been the defense, which ranks among the best in the NBA. The only way the Rockets could move up to an "A+" is if they found a way to have something more consistent on offense. The Rockets need a player that they can count on to get 20 points per night regardless of how well or poor he is shooting.

If the Rockets can get some consistent offense flowing, they could be a really dangerous team in the Western Conference.

The Rockets are back in action on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Toyota Center.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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