Obviously, the Houston Rockets are not going to win a championship yet, and even in the next few years, the Rockets may not be too close to that goal. Of course, fans should not be too frustrated, the Rockets have made obvious progress in recent years, and they are likely to attack the play-offs, or even win the eventual victory, and get rid of the lottery title.
The American media spacecityscoop listed the three direct competitors that the Rockets need to face if they can make the play-offs. Among them, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors are on the list, and the former Sacramento Kings have changed and led in this list.
For many years, the Kings have been the number one fish belly in the West, and they have basically missed the playoff stage in a row. But in the past two years, the Kings seem to have ushered in a metamorphosis, first in the 22-23 season in the third place in the West, and in the first round against the Warriors to play a tiebreaker. Last season, the Kings were also not to be underestimated, they were in the top six in the West for a long time, but unfortunately in the closing stage of the season, two big men Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk were injured, which caused the Kings to fall into the play-in area, although they easily beat the Warriors, but the Kings lost to the Pelicans and ended up in ninth place in the West. The Kings' main framework remained unchanged this summer, but they sent away Harrison Barnes and took out former All-Star wing DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade fashion. On paper, the Kings seem to be improving, but DeMar DeRozan is past his prime, and with space and outside threes an issue, the Kings' primary goal is to escape the play-in tournament.
Without Paul George's Clippers, I'm afraid no one will feel like they're better than they were in the past, even if the Clippers made a remedy by signing the likes of Derrick Jones Jr., Muhammad Bamba and Kevin Porter, respectively. However, no matter what era, role players are unlikely to be worthy of the superstar second leader, not to mention the Clippers core Kawhi Leonard suffered an injury in the offseason, if he can't guarantee attendance and optimal condition, it seems like a fantasy to expect James Harden to lead the team to the playoffs in the twilight of his career, after all, this is not the Rockets.
The Warriors' roster has changed drastically compared to last season, and the strength of the Warriors' roster is basically the same as last season, even if the locker room issues are improved, such as Jonathan Kuminga, Blandin Podzemski and Jackson Davis make some improvements, the Warriors may not soar in the rankings, because Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are difficult to guarantee as they get older.