NBA 2018-19 Power Rankings: Week 1 (Western Conference Edition)

#2 Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers

It's only been four games so far, but the indications from the Rockets' start to the season do not bode well. The loss of Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute has clearly capped their ability to contain teams from the perimeter, while new additions James Ennis and Carmelo Anthony have been unimpressive offensively.

Their core quartet of Paul, Harden, Capela and Eric Gordon are there and thereabouts, close to their optimum levels of play. Paul, however, will be unavailable for their next couple of games on the account of the 'Spitgate', and will look to power the #1 seeds from 2017-18 in a manner similar to last season.

The only reason the Rockets are still #2 on these rankings is because the aim of this exercise is to stay as free of reactionist outlooks as possible.