Welcome readers to Court Vision: Our first of many team featurettes, where we give our thoughts, reviews and assessments of teams in the NBA. We’re showcasing every team and giving you an opportunity to get perspective and insight on a part of the league you might not have your eyes on. Each piece will give you 2 to 3 teams and a ton of things to look forward to. Enjoy. 

This week in Court Vision, we’re looking at 2 teams with a ton of young talent, looking to bounce back from a tough season last year. We’re looking at the Houston Rockets, with its 2nd year coach Ime Udoka, leading a team of young talent that, for the good part of the season, looked like a team to beat in the playoffs. We’ll be mirroring their set-up for this season with the Charlotte Hornets, who also have young talent, but are led by a new head coach in Charles Lee. We’re dissecting how, with returning talent and developing talent in players like Brandon Miller, this team is looking to make its own rise in success. 

Houston Rockets

  • Projected Record – 31 Wins, 51 Losses
  • Previous Record – 41 Wins, 41 Losses
  • Head Coach – Ime Udoka
  • Notable Players – Dillon Brooks (7th season), Jalen Green (3rd year), Fred VanVleet (8th year), Reed Sheppard (Rookie) 

Houston is coming off of an interesting season. To start, the additions made to this team were abundant: Ime Udoka named Head coach, Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks both signed, developments of players like Sengun and Jalen Green and so on. The question last year was “why so many guards?” That question never really got answered. Although through the middle of the season this team packaged a blitz-like defense in the front court, combined with quick drives to the paint for a good number of wins, the injuries and miscues lead this team to an 11th place finish last year. 

So, as seems the trend of this year, the question now is: “Can everyone stay healthy?” Everything looks good on paper. The only thing this team has to contend with is a tougher, healthier Western Conference. Look for Alperen Sengun to emerge as a huge piece in Houston’s offense and success. It has been said from interviews that he’s going to be, given his improving skill set, a big reason the ball gets into the bucket. 

This team might start slowly this year, but the Rockets are capable of defending home court. Although they’re in the toughest division (Southwest) on paper, this team had a winning record against the Western Conference (28-24) with a majority of those wins coming at home. So, if you have a chance to bet on this team, look for teams visiting from the West – and more specifically teams on the “Rodeo Trip” (teams on the road playing San Antonio, Dallas and Houston in one stretch.)

Charlotte Hornets

  • Projected Record – 8 Wins, 74 Losses
  • Previous Record – 21 Wins, 61 Losses
  • Head Coach – Charles Lee
  • Notable Players – Brandon Miller (3rd). Lamelo Ball (4th), Miles Bridges (5th)

Charlotte wasn’t the worst teams overall, but they were really bad down the stretch of a season that was practically unkind to them. Injuries to Bridges and Ball, a depleted offense that was a shell of itself in the Post All-Star stretch, and a team unsure about it’s identity after losing Terry Rozier in a trade with Miami left us wondering: What is the future of this team? 

Well, there was a bright spot during this dark period, which developed into MIP candidate. Brandon Miller, who is a definite player to watch this season from both a team and fantasy perspective, was able to fill in where Ball and Rozier left off, improved his ability to score, and even help win a game or two down the stretch. Now armed with 2 more additions (KJ Simpson and Tidjane Salaun), a young, healthy squad and a new head coach, the future of this team looks bright. 

Thank you for reading this week’s Court Vision. If you liked what you read and want to hear more, don’t forget to subscribe to our website, follow us on X and send us a DM! We love answering questions almost as much as we love our sports. Until next week!