John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes: \u201cIt will be critical for VanVleet to shoot closer to his mark from 3-point range in his first season in Houston (38.7%) than last season\u2019s (34.5%).\u201d<\/p>\n
Are the defending champions still the team to beat? \ud83e\udd14
\nAs rosters begin to take shape, see where John Schuhmann ranks all 15 teams in the West, now on the NBA App!
\n\u27a1\ufe0f nba.smart.link\/WestRank-BS<\/p>\n
\u2014 NBA (@nba.com)<\/a> 2025-08-04T18:00:06.382Z<\/a><\/p>\n The Rockets had a top-five defense<\/a> for the 2024-25 NBA season, but a mediocre and inconsistent offense<\/a> kept Houston from being truly elite.<\/p>\n Even after securing a 52-30 record and a No. 2 spot in the Western Conference standings, the Rockets were bounced from the 2025 playoffs in a seven-game, first-round series versus Golden State, the West\u2019s No. 7 seed. Scoring issues were a recurring theme<\/a>.<\/p>\n The good news is that superstar forward Kevin Durant, a 15-time NBA All-Star and one of the greatest scorers in league history, is now a member of the Rockets<\/a>. But is his arrival alone enough to fix all of Houston\u2019s problems?<\/p>\n John Schuhmann of NBA.com is listing the Rockets at No. 3 among West teams in his 2025 offseason power rankings<\/a>, trailing the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> at No. 1 and the Denver Nuggets<\/a> at No. 2.<\/p>\n Regarding the Rockets, who were at No. 5 in these rankings prior to the Durant trade, Schuhmann writes<\/a>:<\/p>\n The Rockets certainly needed a bucket-getter like Durant. They ranked 10th offensively (115.2 points scored per 100 possessions) in non-clutch situations, but scored\u00a08.6 fewer per 100<\/a>\u00a0(only four teams saw a bigger drop-off) when the score was within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. If the defense could contain the Fred VanVleet-Alperen Sengun pick-and-roll, the Rockets struggled to get good (initial) shots down the stretch.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still not a ton of shooting around Durant, with Dorian Finney-Smith and Aaron Holiday being the only other Rockets who shot the league average or better on at least 100 3-point attempts last season. It will be critical for VanVleet to shoot closer to his mark from 3-point range in his first season in Houston (38.7%<\/a>) than last season\u2019s (34.5%).<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that VanVleet was dealing with a serious ankle injury<\/a> for much of 2024-25, and he bounced back in the playoffs to shoot 43.5% from 3-point range.<\/p>\n So, after allowing his ankle to heal up over the offseason, the hope in Houston is that VanVleet will indeed be back to his 2023-24 form. And if that\u2019s the case, the arrival of Durant could be even more powerful.<\/p>\n \u201cLast season marked Durant\u2019s 14th season in which he averaged at least 25 points per game with a true shooting percentage of 60% or better,\u201d Schuhmann writes<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s five more seasons than any other player in NBA history, with LeBron James (nine) and Stephen Curry (eight) next on the list.\u201d<\/p>\n