Latest Power Rankings See Rockets Fall Below State, Division Rival

Is the ranking too low?

Oct 7, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka looks on against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have seemingly been sporadically placed in the power rankings this offseason, with some placing them in the tier of postseason contenders and others placing them in the tier of rebuilding teams. Then again, power rankings tend to vary in the offseason.

It makes for great offseason content though.

The latest power rankings by The Ringer has the Rockets as the 21st-best team in the league, placing them among the league's more exciting bottom-dwellers. The complete tier is below:

25. Utah Jazz
24. Chicago Bulls
23. Toronto Raptors
22. Atlanta Hawks
21. Rockets

The Hawks were predicted to be the most frisky of the bunch., as they drew rave reviews from the panel.

"The Trae Young–Dejounte Murray partnership never coalesced in the way many (including yours truly) imagined that it might both at the time of the trade and after the team brought in a highly esteemed coach in Quin Snyder. By every metric, the tandem failed, and it’s hard not to see Murray’s departure in an offseason trade as addition by subtraction. Now, the logic of the team will be crystallized under a very Trae Young–centric paradigm, for better and for worse. However, the main reason to be bullish on this year’s Hawks is the possibility that second-year phenom Jalen Johnson will tap deep into his gigantic potential sooner rather than later."

The next tier on the list is below:

20. San Antonio Spurs
19. LA Clippers
18. Sacramento Kings
17. Golden State Warriors
16. New Orleans Pelicans

The list could be perceived as a slight, as neither the Spurs nor Clippers had a better offseason than Houston.

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.