2016 NBA Predictions: A look at each team in the league
By Keith Rivas
Houston Rockets
With Dwight Howard now out of town, much of the pressure is now on James Harden for the Rockets to contend.
Harden led the team a year ago in scoring and assists, with averages of 29 and 7.5 in those categories, respectively.
Howard’s departure for the Atlanta Hawks leaves the Rockets without their top rebounding player and shot blocker.
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Unfortunately for them, the Western Conference hasn’t gotten any easier — in fact, you could easily argue the opposite — and the Rockets are still looking for answers.
Houston found themselves in the playoffs by the skin of their teeth last year. Making it as the eight seed, they were placed in a ring with the Golden State Warriors.
You can imagine how that went.
While Houston got a game off of Golden State, it was far from the team that made it to the third round a few seasons ago.
Additionally, the Rockets only posted a 41-41 record last season.
The Utah Jazz were right on their tail for the final playoff berth, but thanks to a strong regular season finish and a little bit of luck, things rolled in their favor.
As much as being optimistic sounds great, the reality is that this year will be one filled with some growing pains.
And no playoffs this time around.
Season Prediction: (43-39), 4th in Southwest