The Houston Rockets arguably won the NBA’s offseason. ESPN’s newest power rankings reflect that reality by placing them second in the NBA.

That’s a lofty position. ESPN thinks that after the Thunder, the Rockets are the second-best team in the NBA. If they’re right, that means the Rockets are dangerous title contenders in 2025-26. So here’s the question:

Are they right?

Rockets have a real claim to the league’s second place

Absolutely.

I’ve covered a handful of Western Conference teams making noise this summer. Let’s review.

If any team is challenging the Rockets for this spot, it’s the Nuggets. Flipping Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson should be a meaningful upgrade. Reuniting with Bruce Brown was smart. With arguably the best player in the world on their roster in Nikola Jokic, the fact that Denver has upgraded is frightening.

The Clippers made a lot of moves this summer. At this juncture, Bradley Beal is likely a downgrade from Norman Powell. Still, when they also added John Collins, Brook Lopez, and Chris Paul, it’s fair to say they should improve.

The Lakers will have another year for LeBron James and Luka Doncic to gel. Out East, the Cavaliers and Knicks will pose a threat:

But on paper, none of these teams should be as threatening as the Rockets.

They’re considerably deeper than any of these squads. More broadly, the Rockets were better than all of them (besides Cleveland) last year, and made bigger upgrades this summer. By that simple logic, yes, the Rockets ought to be the second-best team in the NBA in 2025-26.

Can they usurp the Thunder?

Rockets will have a real challenge vs the champions

That’s a much taller order.

In 2024-25, the Thunder won 68 games. That’s not just a strong mark. It ranks the Thunder among the best teams of all time. They’re bringing back all their significant pieces for 2025-26.

The Rockets won 52. They flipped Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks for Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Clint Capela. That’s a large upgrade. Is it a 16-game upgrade?

That’s unlikely. The Rockets should flirt with 60 wins next year, but for them to surpass the defending champions, they’ll need incredible fortune.

Ultimately, Houston surely didn’t enter this summer to build the definitive best team in the NBA. That would be an unfair burden of expectation. They aimed to build a team that would be in the mix for the title, and they did that:

feed

They built the second-best team in the NBA.