Houston Rockets 2022-23 Season Preview and Best Bet (Odds, Offseason Moves and More)
By Peter Dewey
The start of the 2022-23 NBA season is less than a month away, which means the BetSided team is breaking down a best bet for every single team in the league, starting with the Houston Rockets.
As you may know, there is no league I love more than the National Basketball Association, so even in the heart of football season, I’m excited to break down each of these teams with you all.
Houston, who was one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, especially on the defensive end, isn’t expected to compete for an NBA title any time soon, but the Rockets do have a solid young core of players.
Jalen Green showed some real scoring prowess at the end of the 2021-22 season, the Rockets nabbed Jabari Smith Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and Kevin Porter Jr. has shown flashes at the guard position.
Houston also brought in first-round picks TyTy Washington and Tari Eason, adding to the plethora of young talent that it has. Will all of these young guys work out? Probably not, but the Rockets are giving themselves ample opportunity to hit on a young start to turn this rebuild around.
Let’s jump into their offseason moves, futures odds and best bet for Stephen Silas’ squad:
Houston Rockets Offseason Moves and Additions
Rockets Roster Additions:
- Jabari Smith Jr. (Draft)
- Tari Eason (Draft)
- TyTy Washington (Draft)
- Marquese Chriss (Trade)
- Sterling Brown (Trade)
- Boban Marjanovic (Trade)
- Trey Burke (Trade)
Rockets Roster Losses:
- Christian Wood (Trade)
- Anthony Lamb (Free Agency)
- Dennis Schroder (Free Agency)
- John Wall (Waived)
- Trevelin Queen (Free Agency)
Houston Rockets Odds to Win NBA Championship, Make Playoffs and Win Total
- Odds to Win NBA Finals: +50000
- Odds to Win Western Conference: +24000
- Make Playoffs: +5500
- Win Total: 23.5 (Over +100/Under -122)
Houston Rockets Best Bet for 2022-23 NBA Season
The Rockers have won 17 and 20 games in the last two seasons, but oddsmakers expect them to take a bit of a step forward in the 2022-23 season.
I’m not so sure.
Yes, the Rockets have a ton of young talent in Smith, Green, Eason, Josh Christopher and Washington, but there are going to be a lot of growing pains as well.
The Western Conference does have a few teams that got worse, but by trading away Wood, the Rockets gave up arguably their most proven offensive option in the offseason. Plus, teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans should all be even better than last year.
Houston had the worst defensive rating in the NBA last season, and when you have a lot of offensive-minded players that are young and inexperienced, that’s going to happen.
Unless Silas is able to turn around the team’s play at that end of the floor, I think the win total UNDER is the way to go, especially since the prize of Victor Wembanyama awaits for the team with the No. 1 pick.