Predicting the Houston Rockets’ 2014-15 Win Total

By Kareem Gantt on October 24, 2014

If there was any contending team that got worse during the offseason, it was the Houston Rockets.

Sure, the Rockets still have James Harden and Dwight Howard as their anchors, but all in all, the Rockets’ talent level is not like it was in 2013-14. A big reason for the dip in talent was the loss of Chandler Parsons, who Houston stupidly gave away thinking that Chris Bosh was going to sign with the team.

Parsons may not have been a good defender, but he was Houston’s best outside shooter and playmaker. Parsons was the glue that held the Rockets together, and I just don’t know if the Rockets can replace him.

That responsibility now goes to Trevor Ariza, the Rockets’ third choice in free agency. Ariza is a better defender and driver than Parsons, and Ariza’s shooting has improved by leaps and bounds. But can he be the playmaker that Parsons was?

Another move that weakened the Rockets was the loss of Jeremy Lin. Although he never lived up to his ridiculous contract, Lin was a solid point guard off the bench. Who is going to back up Patrick Beverley now that Lin is gone? That remains to be seen.

As you can see, there are major question marks with the 2014-15 edition of the Rockets. Houston will still be a dangerous team with Harden and Howard on the floor, but the team will have to rely on those two even more in 2014-15. That may not be enough against the more complete teams in the West.

Look for the Rockets to finish with 54 wins and take another early exit from the playoffs.

Kareem Gantt is a featured writer for Rant Sports. For more from this author, ‘follow’ him on Twitter, ‘like’ him on Facebook, and ‘add’ him to your network on Google.