Many NBA teams played this offseason very conservatively knowing they had no chance of taking on the Warriors this season. General manager Daryl Morey knew he had to take a huge risk to compete with Golden State, and he did just that by trading for Chris Paul. The Rockets now have two of the league's top-10 players, and have at least given them a shot at matching the Warriors' firepower.
Point Guard
Many analysts have questioned the fit of Chris Paul and James Harden in the Rockets' backcourt, but Morey is a big believer in acquiring as many superstars as possible.
Head coach Mike D'Antoni can stagger their minutes, where they can each run the offense on their own for about 13 minutes a piece, which only leaves around 20 minutes where they'll need to figure out how to play together.
Harden has plenty of experience playing off the ball from his days with the Thunder, and Chris Paul's incredible defense (first in defensive RPM last season) compliments Harden very well.
Shooting Guard
Eric Gordon is really the only true two-guard left on the roster, but he's coming off of a Sixth Man of the Year season where he scored 16.2 points per game and shot 37.2% from 3.
However, last season was Gordon's first season playing 75+ games since his rookie year in '08, and Rockets fans will keep their fingers crossed that he can continue to stay healthy.
Small Forward
With the Warriors in mind, the Rockets have loaded up on versatile wing defenders. Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute, and P.J. Tucker are all capable of defending elite players, and they all shot at least 34% from 3 last season.
Troy Williams looked great in Summer League, and he could provide some depth behind these three small forwards.
Power Forward
The Rockets have tried to move Ryan Anderson and his massive contract this offseason, but he can still provide some major spacing in the offense with his ability to shoot over 40% from 3. Shawn Long could also see some minutes at power forward after a strong finish to the season in Philadelphia.
Center
The Rockets are extremely excited about Clint Capela's future, and he definitely showed why last season.
Capela had a player efficiency rating of 21.4 last season as he averaged 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Nene is one of the league's best backup centers, and he was incredibly valuable to the Rockets in last year's playoffs. He had a true shooting percentage of 63% last season, and he finished fourth among all centers in defensive real plus-minus.
Tarik Black is also capable of providing some energy off the bench at center behind Capela and Nene.
James Harden's BEST PLAY from EVERY GAME for the @HoustonRockets in 2016-17 season! #BESTofNBA https://t.co/bP1FBps3LA
— NBA (@NBA) September 15, 2017
The Rockets will be conducting a major basketball experiment next season, but the immense amount of talent should ensure their success.