2. Houston Rockets
While there are plenty of people out there asking how Houston could be ranked ahead of San Antonio given the fact that the Spurs knocked the Rockets out of the playoffs last season, the answer is simple: Chris Paul.
Adding the best pure point guard of his generation to the Rockets may seem like a mysterious move to some. After all, James Harden had the best season of his career after moving to the point last year. However, when you have the chance to add Chris Paul to your roster, you do it and figure things out from there. Having these two in the backcourt together is going to be amazing to watch. Both move so well off the ball and both can shoot the ball so effectively that they’re going to be hard to contain. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have some real competition for the best backcourt in the NBA.
It’s no secret that Mike D’Antoni wants his team to score and wants his team to score A LOT of points. The Rockets attempted (3,306) and made (1,181) more 3-pointers last season than any team in NBA history and there’s no reason to think that type of offensive scheme is going to stop. Losing Lou Williams to the Clippers in the Chris Paul deal hurt a bit but Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza, all of whom have the ability to get hot, are still going to be hoisting long balls like crazy and if the shots are falling, the Rockets can run anybody out of the building, including the Golden State Warriors.
The combination of Clint Capela and Nene on the inside is still one of the best big man combos in the league and with Harden and Paul both having the ability to run a strong pick-and-roll, both men are going to have plenty of opportunities to score. Adding Carmelo Anthony to the roster certainly would have made things a lot more interesting for the Rockets but perhaps it’s best that they didn’t. Harden and Paul are two of the best players of the last decade and a strong supporting cast makes them a very dangerous team.