Trailing only Oklahoma City, ESPN ranks Rockets No. 2 in NBA in latest power rankings
At 52-30, the Houston Rockets had the NBA's fourth-best record in the recently completed 2024-25 season. Their roster is relatively young, with several talented prospects such as Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. who can reasonably be expected to improve and develop between seasons.
And in addition to that potential for internal growth, the Rockets brought in established veterans including Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela, and perennial All-Star forward Kevin Durant in the 2025 offseason.
So, where does that position the Rockets as the 2025-26 season nears?
In ESPN's latest power rankings, Houston is at No. 2 in the entire NBA, trailing only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Michael C. Wright writes:
Disappointed with a first-round exit from the postseason, Houston wasted no time in addressing its need for offense by bringing aboard 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant while also bolstering its depth and perimeter defense with the addition of Dorian Finney-Smith. Those experienced veterans join Fred VanVleet and a young, hungry cast of rising stars, including Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.
The Rockets are also banking on improvement (especially on the defensive end) from the sharp-shooting Reed Sheppard, who was impressive during summer league, showing Houston he is ready for an increased role. Frontcourt depth will be a sneaky strength, too.
'Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Michael C. Wright, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk, Chris Herring, Kevin Pelton, Zach Kram, and Anthony Slater) think teams belong after a flurry of free agency moves,' ESPN writes of its methodology.
The Rockets were at No. 7 among the league's 30 teams in ESPN's previous power rankings, which were issued prior to the 2025 draft and free agency window.
As for the updated list from July 30, teams immediately behind the Rockets are the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks at No. 3 through No. 5, respectively.
Complete schedules for the NBA's 2025-26 regular season will be released in August, with training camps opening for all 30 teams around October 1. To say the least, that will be a much anticipated date in Houston, where the Rockets are hot in pursuit in what would be their first championship in more than 30 years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Devin Williams, Jake Bird implode for gut-punch Yankees' loss in extras
Access the Yankees beat like never before Don't miss Greg Joyce's text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees. Sign Up Now ARLINGTON, Texas — The first three relievers out of the Yankees bullpen on Monday night followed the blueprint perfectly. Then Devin Williams chewed it up and spit it out. After Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval and David Bednar each tossed a perfect inning to protect a one-run lead, Williams gave up a game-tying blast to Joc Pederson in the bottom of the ninth. Jake Bird then served up a walk-off home run off the bat of Josh Jung in the bottom of the 10th to hand the Yankees their fourth straight loss, this one a gut punch 8-5 defeat to the Rangers at Globe Life Field. Bird had retired the first two batters in order in the bottom of the 10th before the Yankees intentionally walked Wyatt Langford to bring up Jung, who crushed a three-run shot to end it. 6 Texas Rangers' Josh Jung, right, celebrates after his home run as New York Yankees pitcher Jake Bird (59) walks to the dugout during the 10th inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. AP 6 Texas Rangers' Joc Pederson reacts to hitting a home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. AP The Yankees had runners on the corners with one out in the top of the 10th but came up empty when Austin Wells grounded into a double play. After the new-look bullpen had faltered in brutal fashion on Friday night in Miami, giving way to a sweep by the Marlins, the Yankees looked to be on their way to a better ending in their second chance Monday. Instead, the end result was all too familiar. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS Williams has given up at least one earned run in five of his past seven appearances since the All-Star break. He had pitched well for a 25-game stretch before that, but his early season struggles have resurfaced. 6 New York Yankees relief pitcher Jake Bird (59) walks off the field after he gives up the game-winning home run to Texas Rangers designated hitter Josh Jung (not pictured) during the tenth inning at Globe Life Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect With the Yankees now having two former closers in their bullpen in Bednar and Doval, it remains to be seen whether manager Aaron Boone will make a change with how he handles the ninth inning. Coming off a miserable weekend in Miami with their playoff spot suddenly looking tenuous — the Rangers (59-55) entered the night as the last team out in the AL wild-card race but now only trail the Yankees (60-53) by 1 ¹/₂ games — Aaron Boone's club fell further into third place in the AL East. The bullpen had to get to work early on a night when Max Fried labored just to get through five innings. It was a grind for the left-hander, who gave up four runs on eight hits and three walks across 105 pitches and now owns a 5.81 ERA across his last six starts. 6 Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, right, hits a home run that also scored teammate Paul Goldschmidt in front of Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim, left, during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. AP Giancarlo Stanton's home run in the fourth inning, which flew off the bat at 115 mph, had put the Yankees up 5-4. It was his 10th of the season, all of them coming in his last 24 games. The timing of it presented another reminder of the dilemma that is facing the Yankees. Aaron Judge is expected to return from the injured list on Tuesday, but he will be limited to DH, at least initially, as he begins his throwing program in the coming days. That will almost certainly force Stanton into a bench role, unless the Yankees actually take the risk of using him in the outfield. Boone said Monday afternoon that was at least a possibility once the Yankees return home on Friday, but it is hard to imagine it happening given Stanton's injury history. Paul Goldschmidt, who was on the field five hours before first pitch Monday taking early batting practice (as he will do on occasion), crushed the third pitch of the game for a leadoff home run against left-hander Patrick Corbin. It marked the veteran first baseman's first home run since June 19, going 31 games without one, a stretch in which he hit just .212 with a .566 OPS. 6 Yankees right fielder Amed Rosario (14) celebrates after he hits a double against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 6 New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) points to the dugout after he hits a double against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The Yankees went on to load the bases with two outs, but failed to push across another run. In the second inning, Amed Rosario — who doubled for his 1,000th career hit in the first inning — and Cody Bellinger roped back-to-back RBI singles to make it a 3-0 game. But again, the Yankees loaded the bases, this time with one out, and stranded them all as they wasted another opportunity to break the game open. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters It did not take long for that to come back to haunt the Yankees, as the Rangers rallied for four runs to take the lead in the bottom of the second. Fried gave up a one-out double and walk before the Rangers strung together four straight singles — the first three hard-hit ground balls — to tie the game 3-3. Then with the bases loaded, the Yankees ran a pickoff play at second base, but Fried's throw went into center field, allowing the go-ahead run to score from third to make it 4-3 Rangers. Fried led off the bottom of the fourth inning by issuing a four-pitch walk to No. 8 hitter Jonah Heim before Ezequiel Duran followed with a single. Those runners were on second and third with two outs when Fried got bailed out by Anthony Volpe, who made a strong sliding stab on a smoked one-hopper by Marcus Semien and bounced a throw to first that got picked by Goldschmidt to escape the jam.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
McMenamin: LeBron James is still monitoring the Lakers' moves
Ever since LeBron James opted into the final season of his contract in late June, there has been lots of speculation about his immediate future with the Los Angeles Lakers. That speculation stemmed from a statement his agent, Rich Paul, gave to ESPN that stated, in part, that the two "want to evaluate what's best" for the superstar moving forward. James is 40 years of age and is headed toward his record 23rd season in the NBA. It does appear he will start the new season as a member of the Lakers, but what happens afterward with him is anyone's guess, especially now that the franchise revolves around Luka Doncic, who just agreed to a three-year contract extension. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that James is supportive of Doncic being with the team, but that the four-time MVP is still looking at what the team will do to build a championship-caliber roster (at 10:42). "I'm told that the statement that Rich Paul gave to Shams Charania back in June when LeBron opted in still stands," McMenamin said. "LeBron and his representatives will be monitoring the Lakers' moves that they make, because they recognize that there's only a very limited amount of time left in his career and he wants to be competing for championships, whatever time that is." It has been rumored that James and his camp have been unhappy that the Lakers are now catering to Doncic and not James. However, Charania also reported that James is supportive of this shift. With Doncic now under contract for at least the next three years, Los Angeles can fully shift its focus to building a championship team around both superstars. Once James leaves, there's no telling how long it will take the team to find another star to put alongside Doncic, and therefore, now is the time for it to go for its 18th NBA championship, especially since Doncic made it clear that he wants to get a ring now. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: McMenamin: LeBron James is still monitoring the Lakers' moves
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
MLB rumors: Will Astros try again for Nolan Arenado trade after vetoed agreement
The post MLB rumors: Will Astros try again for Nolan Arenado trade after vetoed agreement appeared first on ClutchPoints. As St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado is in rumors ahead of the trade deadline on the evening of July 31, there is no doubt that a bunch of teams could use his talents if he were to become available. With the baseball world wondering what the Cardinals' plans are with Arenado, one team that could be an interesting destination is the Houston Astros. The main reason why the Astros have been mentioned is because of two reasons: the first being that the team could use a third baseman, and the other is that the team went after Arenado before. However, Arenado wouldn't waive his no-trade clause last offseason when a deal could have been in place for him to go to Houston. However, it has been reported that the Astros have 'no interest in reigniting talks' for Arenado, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. 'The Houston Astros would like to find a third baseman while Isaac Paredes recovers from his hamstring tear, but have no interest in reigniting talks with the St. Louis Cardinals for third baseman Nolan Arenado,' Nightengale wrote. They had agreed to a trade during the winter, and the Astros had permission to speak to Arenado, but they couldn't convince him they were still going to contend this year.' Houston general manager Dana Brown would say to USA Today that the team couldn't convince Arenado of their plans. 'We tried to convince him that we're not rebuilding, that the window is always open with our owner,' Brown said. 'We planned to compete in 2025 and beyond. He misunderstood the plan.' Cardinals 'entertaining offers' for Nolan Arenado While people will continue to focus on rumors around a possible Arenado trade away from the Cardinals, the third baseman does hold some leverage as he has the no-trade clause. Still, it would also be reported by Katie Woo of The Athletic that St. Louis will 'entertain offers' involving Arenado. 'St. Louis will entertain offers on Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray,' Woo wrote. 'Both players have full no-trade clauses but could be motivated to waive them for the right fit. [President of Baseball Operations John] Mozeliak has started to gauge the interest of a handful of contending teams, though the talks are described as preliminary.' 'The odds of either player being traded before the deadline remain slim, but the Cardinals are financially motivated to move their contracts,' Woo continued. 'Gray is owed $35 million in 2026, his final guaranteed year of his three-year contract, and Arenado has $31 million (not including deferrals) remaining over the next two seasons.' Arenado has been great defensively, but his offensive numbers have been down as he sports a .237 batting average to go along with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs. It remains to be seen where Arenado ends up with the trade deadline on July 31, as said before. Related: 2025 Fantasy Baseball: Top 5 waiver wire pickups for Week 18 Related: MLB rumors: Red Sox's Jarren Duran trade plans amid Padres' aggressive pursuit
