Many fans and analysts (myself included!) were not particularly high on the Rockets entering the 2026–27 season.

Houston won 52 games last season but didn’t profile as a true contender due to a brick-laying offense that relied almost entirely on Kevin Durant to keep up with opponents; this perception was seemingly confirmed to an even more extreme degree than anybody thought when the Rockets got eliminated by a Lakers team missing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Shooting and more creation appeared a big need for the team entering the offseason but the front office largely stayed pat, with the only notable move coming in the form of signing Marcus Smart—not exactly an offensive dynamo for all he brings to the table defensively.

Instead, the organization bet that Fred VanVleet’s return from a torn ACL at 32 years old, Smart’s ballhandling and internal improvement from a talented young core would address the flaws that sunk hopes last time out. There were certainly worse decisions to make than believing in Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün... but it didn’t feel like enough to keep pace in a conference that boasted two of the preseason championship favorites even with the elite defense that would be carried over from last year’s unit. And so it was a team left out of most discussions around serious contenders, such as my own list for Sports Illustrated detailing the nine teams I believed could win the title.

A few weeks into the season and Houston is making me (as well as all other critics) look silly. They lead the West with a 7–1 record with the second-best offensive rating in the entire NBA and a top-10 defense. They’ve notched impressive wins over interstate rivals like the Spurs and Mavericks, as well as the short-handed Thunder. Yet there’s not much buzz to be heard about this squad.

It’s a long season yet. But amid a championship landscape that has shifted dramatically since the season opener, the Rockets are demanding more attention—and we should give it to them.

Rockets’ early success feels sustainable due to one name

The most intruiging part of the Rockets’ early-season success? It feels like they’ve found a sustainable formula to compete—one nobody really expected them to find.

Due to the lack of offensive upgrades over the offseason, Kevin Durant figured to once again be asked to keep the offense moving along. VanVleet’s return would help the operation run smoother but KD would have to be KD all season long for Houston to score enough points to keep up. It was a good enough plan to engineer a top-10 offense last season but proved woefully inadequate in the playoffs, thus making it a shaky foundation for a title contender.

Then the season began and the Rockets chose to lean on someone else entirely: Şengün.

The start of the 24-year-old center’s sixth NBA season has been absolutely outstanding. Despite missing two game with a back injury, Şengün is leading his team in points (23.3), field goal attempts (15.7) and field goal makes (9.0) per game. Some of his production is due to a scalding hot start shooting the three ball—the Turkish big man is hitting 53.8% of his triples so far—but he only takes two per game. He’s just been a monster scoring the ball inside and is leveraging his gravity to create for his teammates at a career-best rate, dishing out 7.8 assists per night. The two-time All-Star is a proven scorer at this stage but we haven’t seen this kind of well-rounded production that elevates the team as well as his stats.

Şengün’s best qualities were on display Monday night in a strong win over the visiting Celtics. He racked up 26 points and 10 assists to go with seven rebounds as Houston largely played through him offensively. His defense, long the weak point in his game, was great; Şengün had four combined blocks and steals against a Boston team that ranks in the top half of the league in turnovers per game.

SENGUN AND THE ROCKETS IMPROVE TO 7-1 🚀

26 PTS
7 REB
10 AST
2 STL
2 BLK pic.twitter.com/wzkonWKy1p

— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2026

Most importantly, his ability to act as an elite offensive engine has taken the load off Durant. The all-time great scorer is still a walking bucket but is averaging the fewest shots per game of his career thus far. He only recorded six field goal attempts in yesterday’s comfortable win. KD will still need to be himself for the Rockets to reach their ceiling, but he was overtaxed as their floor-raiser last year. He can only benefit from how things are currently going.

Everything else has fallen into place around those two. VanVleet has been everything they were hoping as a conductor of the offense, allowing Şengün to get the ball in his preferred spots on the floor. Amen Thompson remains a terror defensively who single-handedly saved one Rockets win already with an incredible block on Victor Wembanyama. Jabari Smith Jr. has finally taken the leap everyone believed him capable of, draining over three triples per night while playing great defense. Smart has proven a great value signing already. The offense is humming along despite the roster’s best non-KD shooter, Reed Sheppard, going ice-cold from deep to start the campaign. And every player on the floor takes great pride in making life miserable for opponents on the defensive end.

It’s all coming up aces for Houston, which is always suspicious this early in the season. But even if there’s a regression to the mean shooting-wise, the formula of physical defense paired with multiple tough shot-makers and a big man capable of racking up assists is well-suited for consistent success.

The way is open for Houston to emerge as a top seed in the West

Outside of the realm of what the Rockets can control, things are lining up for Houston to take hold of one of the top seeds in the West in the early going.

The monster of the conference for the last few seasons, the Thunder, lost three starters to long-term injuries already. The Timberwolves, who finished just behind Houston in the standings last year, will be without Anthony Edwards for months. The Nuggets are struggling to stay above .500. The Grizzlies and Trail Blazers are the only other teams in the West with only one loss so far; as fun as their starts have been, long-term contention is not expected.

The Spurs remain one of the most talented squads in the league with serious title hopes, but otherwise? The runway is wide-open for the Rockets to establish themselves next to their Texas rivals. Assuming good health, Houston has the right combination of talent and scheme to rake in wins in the coming months.

Keep an eye on as the season goes on. The Rockets have earned our attention.

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