Houston Rockets Can Rev Up with Easy October Schedule

The Rockets can kickstart their season with an easy October schedule.

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

We’re just a few weeks away from NBA preseason, where teams will roll out new squads for the first time.

One of those will be the Houston Rockets, who look to be one of the more highly anticipated teams this upcoming season. Armed with Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and it’s “Core 7” of youngsters, they’re one of the more polarizing squads in the league.

Many expect Houston to be a Play-In or even Playoffs-level team. But it’s youth and synergy with new pieces offer questions about the real talent-level around the team.

For all 30 teams, the October slate will be one of the shortest of the season. And for Houston, it’ll be one of the easiest, which should be perfect for learning about the team and getting off to a solid start.

The Rockets open their season with the Charlotte Hornets at home on Oct. 23. Which, as opening games go, is one of the easier contests in the entire league.

Following that, Houston plays the Grizzlies at home. Memphis is a team that likely matches the Rockets talent level, especially with star Ja Morant back in the lineup. But with missed games and new additions stretched across their roster, the Grizzlies are a question mark, especially early in the season.

For Houston’s third and fourth games, they’ll see back-to-back road matchups against the Spurs, who should finish in the bottom-five in the league again, despite Victor Wembanyama’s best efforts.

Lastly, the Rockets will close out October with a tough matchup against in-state rival Dallas on the road, one of the only mentioned teams who would be widely projected to win.

If things fall in Houston’s favor, they could be looking at an undefeated months to start their season. If not, one or two losses should be extremely manageable as they push into the middle of their 2024-25 slate.

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