Could the Rockets Provide a Glimpse of the Trail Blazers' Future?
Houston is the second-best team in the west just a couple years after an extended stretch of time in the lottery.
📍 PORTLAND, Ore. — Not too long ago, the Houston Rockets were the current-day Trail Blazers.
A messy breakup with their franchise player gave way to a few years of misery. Last season, they weren’t a playoff team but they weren’t one of the worst teams in the NBA, either.
Now, the Rockets, who beat the Blazers 125-103 on Saturday, have the second-best record in the Western Conference, an identity as a tough defensive team and an emerging group of young players that are improving and fitting well together.
And, as good as fourth-year center Alperen Şengün has become, they’ve done it without landing a clear superstar in the draft to build around.
The Blazers are a ways away from being a play-in team, let alone a top-four team in the west. They’re closer to the 2022-23 Rockets that went 22-60 than they are to the team that’s currently 28-13. They still have moves to make to clean up their rotation. But the Rockets provide hope that the Blazers won’t be where they are forever.