3. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have done a very good job of restocking the roster once they transitioned into a rebuild following the James Harden era. While they are likely a year or two away from contending even for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament, this is a team people will be keeping an eye on.
They are loaded with young talent as they added Jabari Smith Jr. to the mix in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. He joins an impressive cast that has Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun leading the way. Veteran Eric Gordon, who is 33, could be the only player in the Houston Rockets’ rotation over the age of 26 this season.
Houston has a very bright future but the one thing they are missing is a long-term answer at the point guard position. Kevin Porter Jr. has shown some flashes in his development as a point guard, but adding someone of LaMelo Ball’s caliber to the mix would take them to another level.
Ball and Green, who are 21 and 20, would become the best young guard duos in the NBA. They could lead the Houston Rockets for more than a decade together as a star-studded backcourt.
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Having a playmaker as good as Ball would help the rest of the team realize their potential as well as he would put them in advantageous positions to score.
On this roster, Ball would be seen as an elder statesman as one of the few core players old enough to purchase alcohol on the roster.