Don’t blink now. The Houston Rockets are currently third in the Western Conference after a promising 12-6 record start in its first 18 games of the season, and that says a lot about how the team has developed into an elite squad to look out for this season with the way they have racked up impressive wins so far.

After a disappointing season in the 2023-24, where they finished just a little bit short of the Play-In Tournament after finishing with a 41-41 record – which still equals a promising improvement from their 22-60 record in the 2022-23 campaign. At this point, one can say that the Rockets are making a strong headway, and that shows more about what fans should expect from them now more than ever.

Now third in the West, ahead of known contenders such as the Western Conference champions Dallas Mavericks (9th), 2023 champions Denver Nuggets (6th), and WCF contenders Minnesota Timberwolves (11th) says a lot about the change in the pace that the Rockets have enjoyed so far.

A Massive Jump for Houston

The Rockets have become one of the best teams to watch in the game so far. It has been a long time coming ever since Houston has enjoyed a competitive campaign – way back in the James Harden era of the team. Well, a string of acquisitions despite not landing the 1st overall pick in the recent drafts proved to be quite promising after all.

In case you missed it, Houston now has a strong lineup of impressive talent led by Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Jabari Smith Jr. While all of these players didn’t start to turn out well for the team until this season, it has been really impressive how they have managed to come up with more growth.

Sure, the additions of both Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks in the previous campaigns proved to be a pivotal twist in coming up with a winning pace and instilling a veteran presence in the team. Steven Adams also being added in the roster adds a bit of strength and rebounding boost as well, so all points concerned – this roster is indeed a promising team to look out for should they consider going all-in for the playoffs.

Houston, We Have a Sengun

Alperen Sengun has been the foundational core of the Rockets squad – like it or not. It cannot be denied that the big man has been a promising player ever since he expanded his game in the 2023-24 season. This year, he’s averaging 18.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 48% shooting from the field.

At this point, the Rockets are riding on his back to deliver explosive performances and has been really impressive at this point in time. There are even a lot of analysts who believe that Sengun is a third version of both Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis – sharing almost the same play style and coming up with impressive numbers at a consistent level.

So far, Sengun has been accompanied by Jalen Green’s ascension to the top of the game, proving that they can co-exist as elite scorers in the game so far. That just says a lot about how the Rockets are seeing bigger growth in the season – and it has played a huge role in their rise to the top of the game as a contender in the West as well.