On Thursday, the OKC Thunder concluded their preseason and will now look toward their October 20 season opener against the Spurs.
While preseason games mean little in the grand scheme of things (the Thunder finished 1-4, and it will be completely inconsequential), Thursday's matchup against Houston might have highlighted a harsh truth many people have been overlooking.
The Rockets are indeed a threat in the Western Conference this season.
This warm-up game was a lopsided affair. Starters didn't play the full way through, but OKC was already well behind before they called it quits.
The Thunder were minus-24 when superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on the court. Houston's starters, in contrast, looked crisp, forcing turnovers and grabbing offensive boards despite having a relatively poor shooting night.
Rockets bigger threat to Thunder than last year despite quiet offseason
The Rockets had an extremely quiet offseason this summer, so quiet that many already wrote them off as a Western Conference threat.
In the NBA's latest polling of general managers around the league, Houston finished as the fifth seed by the survey's projections.
Given how little they did this offseason, it's easy to forget they were neck and neck with the Nuggets and Lakers in the standings last year. Of course, their lack of movement this summer can't overshadow the fact that they are getting one of this coming season's most important additions.
Point guard Fred VanVleet is returning after missing all of last year due to a torn ACL. As a result, Houston gets what they lacked last year: a true, bona fide ball handler and offensive orchestrator.
The Rockets were plus-15 with VanVleet on the court Thursday night, the highest on the team. He made his presence known all over the floor, registering eight assists, six boards, two steals, and a block while coughing up zero balls in the turnover department.
Spurs might not be Thunder's only Goliath to topple
The return of point guard Fred VanVleet will undoubtedly impact how the entire conference shakes out.
Houston, Denver, and Los Angeles are likely to clash in a battle for supremacy behind the Thunder and Spurs, and the Rockets could easily emerge as a legitimate postseason threat if VanVleet is able to successfully run the offense.
The Rockets were already flush with talent. Now they have their game manager back.
With stout defenders like Amen Thompson and sharpshooters like Kevin Durant and Tari Easton, there is no telling what this contender is capable of.
It is a realistic possibility that the Thunder will have not one but two Western Conference juggernauts to deal with this season.
Time will tell how real a threat the Rockets are, but if Thursday's preseason affair was any indication, they will likely be in the thick of Western Conference contention all season.
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