The 2024-25 NBA schedule has been released, including the Houston Rockets. What kind of start are Houston fans in for then? Looking at the team’s first ten games, it’s tempting to divide them into two categories. Five will be against “good teams” and five will be against “bad teams”. Naturally, such temptations are wont to lead one astray. Good teams don’t win all 82 games in a season after all. And more importantly for the Rockets, bad teams don’t lose all 82 either.
2024-25 NBA Schedule: Rockets Opening 10 Games
The First Oddity In The Rockets’ Schedule
The big takeaway from the opening ten games is playing the San Antonio Spurs three times. That’s twice at the Spurs’ Frost Bank Center (just recently changed from the AT&T Center, for those who don’t recognize it), and then once nine days later in Houston.
San Antonio is one of the “bad teams”. They finished with the fifth-worst record in the NBA last season. They won a grand total of 22 games. Houston, only three places ahead of them in the Western Conference standings, broke even with 41. But these three early games in the Rockets’ schedule should by no means be taken for granted. For one thing, they might actually matter. For another, San Antonio will be better this year. Maybe a lot better.
The Next Generation of NBA Centers
There are two major avenues for improvement for this year’s San Antonio Spurs. The one with long-term implications for the franchise is the development of Victor Wembanyama. Already last year’s undisputed Rookie of the Year, not to mention a top Defensive Player of the Year candidate, it’s inevitable he will have an even more terrifying sophomore campaign. The fact he’s just been hardened by a close-fought gold medal game loss to Team USA at the Paris Olympics will probably be a contributing factor. Besides that, he was just very raw on offense last season. He won’t suddenly be prime Wilt Chamberlain in 2024-25, but Rockets star Alperen Sengun will probably have a hard time keeping Wembanyama’s long arms away from the rim.
The proximity of those long arms to the rim will pose even more of a problem for the Rockets on the other end. Houston likes to drive. Houston’s aspiring leader, Jalen Green, in particular, loves to drive. Houston’s sophomore Amen Thompson, problematically, can pretty much only drive. Wembanyama will be waiting and ready to swat shots away all night long. He probably won’t have forgotten Sengun’s big night last season either, when the Turk clobbered the Frenchman under the rim.
Look Who’s Back In Texas
The other reason for San Antonio to sneak up the standings is the addition of former Rocket Chris Paul. He’s going to be a major revelation for their offense. Last year they struggled constantly with simply getting Wembanyama the ball around the rim. But getting bigs the ball around the rim is sort of Paul’s thing. Luka Doncic‘s Lob Goblins might have the trendy new nickname now, but Paul was the Mayor of Lob City while Doncic was still… well, a teenage prodigy. But he wasn’t throwing multiple lobs a game in the NBA like Paul was yet.
Wembanyama won’t have the French crowd behind him in these games, but for two of the three, San Antonians will be happy to play the part. Winning both of those games would be a major coup for Houston. Such is the nature of NBA basketball that doing so would probably compel them to let their guard down and lose the third at home.
While these games obviously won’t have the significance of bouts at the Olympics, they could matter in their own way as well. The Spurs and the Rockets will both be competing for spots in the Play-In tournament this season. Not only do these games each represent full game swings in the standings, but they could become relevant in tie-breaker scenarios as well. The schedule will provide an early test of the young Rockets’ readiness to take the next step toward success.
The Last Word
Games against the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons will round out the five “easy” matchups. Besides that, the Rockets will play the rejuvenated Memphis Grizzlies, surging Oklahoma City Thunder (now sporting former Rocket Isaiah Hartenstein), all in New York Knicks, hungrier than ever Dallas Mavericks, and still-kicking Golden State Warriors. If the Rockets can be at .500 through the first ten, it would say promising things about the rest of the season to come.
