There is a new elite team emerging on the basketball court, one that is loaded with young talent aspiring to win a championship—the Houston Rockets. Since the beginning of 2014, the Rockets have posted a league-best record of 22-6. This result is thanks to the extreme efforts of key players James Harden, Dwight Howard, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones.
Within the past week, Houston has proven themselves elite by taking down two of the NBA’s top teams, the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, in hard-fought battles. In both contests, Shooting Guard James Harden put on quite a show with 21 points scored against the Heat, and 28 versus the Pacers. In addition, Center Dwight Howard added 22 points and 16 rebounds in their game against Miami, as well as 15 points when they faced Indiana.
A potential reason for the Rockets’ recent success lies in their acquisition of Jordan Hamilton in a trade deal with the Denver Nuggets. On February 20, Houston sent Point Guard Aaron Brooks to the mile-high city in exchange for the second-year Shooting Guard out of Texas. As soon as he arrived in his new home, Hamilton quickly entered the Rockets’ rotation as a solid backcourt shooter. During his short time on the Houston Rockets, Hamilton has averaged 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
In this newfound era for the Rockets, things are just getting started for this young squad. Currently sitting at a 42-19 overall record, it is difficult to believe that this group has only been together for less than one season. With 20 games remaining in the season, Houston has a chance to finish with the best record in the Western Conference and clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.