The Houston Rockets are making their case as one of the NBA’s strongest teams early in the 2026-27 season despite losing back-to-back games for the first time last week, receiving praise in the latest power rankings from ESPN and The Athletic.
Houston dropped three spots to No. 5 overall in The Athletic’s power rankings from No. 1 the week prior. The Rockets also had the second-best offensive rating and the 10th-best defensive rating, which added up to a plus-9.2 net rating per 100 possessions. Their six wins against clubs with winning records were the most in the league at the time. However, a glaring weakness and possible concern is that Fred VanVleet is shooting just over 40% on field goals, which is a problem for one of your starters to be shooting so poorly. On the positive side, Fred has seemed to help solve a lot of the turnover issues from last season, as he has a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
ESPN dropped Houston down to 7th from first, but praised Houston’s young core, calling them “the driving force behind the successful start,”. However, Houston has Kevin Durant to thank as well, since Kevin Durant gives Houston a veteran scoring option, while Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson have continued to strengthen the Rockets’ balanced roster. Marcus Smart’s arrival has also provided the team with another reliable option in the backcourt. However, just like The Athletic, ESPN noted, Houston is not without its problems, as their old habits of blowing leads returned last Wednesday versus Minnesota, as they blew a fourth-quarter lead, and then, to make matters worse, they suffered a loss of 102-99 versus Phoenix after overcoming a 19-point deficit.
Now, factoring in the Rockets’ performance on Monday, with Durant and Sengun both scoring over 20 points, but most importantly ending the losing streak, and the win over Golden State on Wednesday, Houston could climb even higher in the rankings. Personally, I think that this is a top-five to top-three team currently if everything continues to go to plan, but only time will tell.
The Rockets look to continue their stride in the next game versus the Utah Jazz on November 13, followed by a trip to the nation’s capital to take on AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards, but for now, let us know what you think about the Rockets’ spot in the power rankings, and as always, be sure to check back at The Dream Shake for all things Houston Rockets coverage.
