Rockets Rank Favorably in Southwest Division Offseason Grades

This seems to bode well for the Rockets, but how accurate is it?

Jan 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) celebrate with center Alperen Sengun (28) after a play during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Southwest Division projects to be one of the tougher divisions in 2024-25. The Dallas Mavericks are coming off an NBA Finals appearance, the Memphis Grizzlies will get Ja Morant back, along with a full season of Desmond Bane, the New Orleans Pelicans traded for Dejounte Murray, not to mention the buzz regarding Zion Williamson trimming down and reportedly being in the best shape of his life, and the San Antonio Spurs added Chris Paul, while also drafting Stephon Castle.

Not to mention year two for Victor Wembanyama, who had a highly successful rookie campaign last season.

So where exactly does that leave the Houston Rockets, who have aspirations of being a contender in the Western Conference? It all depends on who you ask.

For example, Yardbarker's Sean Keane gave the Rockets the second-highest offseason grade in the division (B+), behind only the Dallas Mavericks, who he gave an A-.

"The Rockets made their big free-agent moves last summer when they added Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and center Jock Landale. They made another move for the future when they traded for injured center Steven Adams in February. Houston already had six former top-20 picks aged 23 or younger, with three of them being top-four picks, so it didn't have urgency to shake up the roster. Especially after the team went on an 11-game win streak in March to leap into play-in contention before ultimately falling short.

In June's draft, they added Kentucky's Reed Sheppard, whose dazzling Summer League performance made him look ready to contribute right away. Houston also took a flyer on A.J. Griffin, Jr., the No. 16 pick from the 2022 draft who turned 21 on August 25. 

For a team that's loaded with young talent, some of next season is about figuring out who is going to stick on the roster long-term. Houston managed to make some high-upside additions to its young core while positioning itself to have over $30M in cap space for another shopping spree next summer."

The rest of the grades for the division are below:

• San Antonio Spurs- B
• Memphis Grizzlies- C
• New Orleans Pelicans- D+

Soon enough, we'll find out if these grades are accurate when the 2024-25 season kicks off.

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