The Houston Rockets have officially clinched a playoff spot.
For fans of the team, it's time to celebrate. It's also time to reflect. It's been a long road for the Rockets. Three exhausting years of tanking left the fanbase feeling depleted.
How quickly the tables can turn.
Now, the Rockets are a 50-win outfit. They're not just heading to the postseason - they'll almost certainly have home-court advantage. As it stands, they're the second seed. Even if they slip as the season progresses, it's hard to imagine them plummeting so far that they lose homecourt seeding.
For some pundits, that isn't enough.
Prominent NBA analyst calls the Rockets "a year away"
Bill Simmons of The Ringer is one of those pundits.
"I just feel like Houston when I watch them...are a year away."
- Bill Simmons, The Ringer
Let's be honest - some Rockets fans are seething at the moment. They have a bone to pick with Simmons. To be sure, there's been a perception that Simmons tends to be biased against Houston.
That said, he says that he's enjoyed watching them this season. He seems high on their future. This isn't a case of Simmons targeting the Rockets:
He happens to be right.
(This time).
Rockets are a year away, and that's fine
Yes, the same Bill Simmons who called the James Harden trade "unfathomably bad" is right about the Rockets.
The Rockets' approach to the 2024-25 NBA season has been discussed ad nauseam. They destroy opponents on the offensive glass, and they play harder than most of them, too. It's resulted in a lot of regular-season wins.
It likely won't resist in tremendous playoff success.
In the postseason, having a dominant player who can create offense in the half-court tends to rule the day. The Rockets do not have that player. Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green both resemble that guy at times, but neither is consistent enough to rely on.
Amen Thompson looks the part of a future superstar at times, but he's more of a well-rounded, two-way force. Thompson's half-court offense remains somewhat undercooked. Defenses will likely converge in the paint when Thompson has the ball on the perimeter in the playoffs.
So, they're likely a year away. That's fine. The Rockets will have one of the youngest teams in the playoffs this year. They've got an outstanding collection of assets (largely thanks to the Harden trade, Mr. Simmons) that they can use to acquire a star if they deem it necessary. The Rockets will be OK:
For the time being, fans should just enjoy the postseason.