Rockets Sit Atop the Latest Power Rankings From Bleacher Report

The Houston Rockets have had a very impressive start to the 2026 season, as they currently sit at 5-0, and as a result of the strong start, it does appear that they may have a case to be the best team in the NBA as October finishes up.

With that said, the Rockets have received some recognition when it comes to rankings, as Bleacher Report NBA analyst Andy Bailey released his NBA power rankings, and in those rankings, Houston actually came in at No. 1, meaning that the Rockets were ranked as the best team in the league.

This a great sign for the Rockets as they start the 2026 season because last season ended in a first round exit and after getting veterans Fred VanVleet and Kevin Durant back in the lineup for this year the hope was that the Rockets could become a contender and thus far Houston has been able to do just that, emerge as a contender.

Now, diving deeper into the power rankings, Bailey noted two key things. First, the Rockets have a net rating of +14.1, which is incredible, and in the previous ranking, Houston was ranked No. 10, which shows that the Rockets have performed a lot better than many expected.

When it comes to the reasoning as to why the Rockets have started off so well, it has been in large part due to the play of their young players, specifically guard Amen Thompson and center Alperen Sengun, showing the ability to take over the games at times, but also make key plays down the stretch to help close out games.

In addition to the play of Thompson and Sengun, the Rockets have also gotten some great performances from forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, and guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, alongside veteran centers Steven Adams and Clint Capela, and veteran guard Marcus Smart.

With the contributions of the entire rotation, the Rockets have not had to lean as heavily on VanVleet and Durant which has been huge as both veterans have been able to play naturally and let the game come to them rather than forcing the issue and causing issues offensively.

One more thing that Bailey did not is the fact that the Rockets have a good resume thus far through defeating the Atlanta Hawks twice as well as a tight win over the San Antonio Spurs, and a solid win over the Dallas Mavericks, but the schedule will get harder.

Nevertheless, the Rockets have been able to take care of business which has been great to see and is a good sign for a team trying to compete in what is a very stacked Western Conference.

So, based on the 5-0 start, it is evident that the Rockets have shown to be a top contender in the West, and if they can continue their strong start, it is very possible that this team will find themselves in a position to truly be in contention for the Larry O'Brien Trophy when the playoffs roll around in April.

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