Houston Rockets Fan Poll: Play-In, Playoffs or No Playoffs?

Houston Rockets fans voted on how they think the upcoming season will go.

Mar 21, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka (center) talks with Houston Rockets guards Fred VanVleet (5) and Jalen Green (4) during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Houston Rocket fans endured three of the worst seasons in franchise history. From 2021 to 2023, the Rockets only won 48 games. Going into the 2023-24 season, Rocket fans were unsure what to expect after Ime Udoka was hired and Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks were added.

Most Rocket fans were not expecting the team to make the playoffs but were hoping for more competitive basketball. After they finished 41-41 and a few games out of the tenth spot, the next logical step is at least the Play-In.

We know the front office, coaches, and players expect nothing less than the postseason, but what are fans thinking? I posed this question to the good people of Twitter (sorry, X).

I asked if the Rockets will make the Play-In, Playoffs, or if they believe the Rockets will miss the playoffs entirely again.

It seems that most fans expect the team to finally move from a feel-good story to at least a Play-In game next season.

Need everyone help for an upcoming article. Let me know below do you think the Rockets will make the play-in, playoffs are neither.

— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) September 16, 2024

The final number, 68%, think they will make at least the Play-In. And 27% feel they will be a top-six seed, with 5% thinking the Rockets will miss the playoffs for a fifth-straight season. The poll results don't come as a surprise, as enthusiasm for the Rockets is the highest it has been since James Harden left town.

It isn't just Rocket fans who expect the team to be at least a top-10 seed. Many basketball analysts believe this is the year we see the Rockets play past the regular season. For the Rockets this season, there is no way around it; for the team, it is postseason or bust.

Nothing short of a top-10 seed will be accepted by anyone from the front office to the fan base. The Rockets have the talent and coaching staff to take that next step and finally play meaningful basketball beyond the regular season for the first time in four years.

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