Former NBA All-Star Doesn't Think This Western Conference Contender is Legit

The Western Conference is shaping up to be a bloodbath come playoff time. As of Thursday morning, there are six different teams that are on a 50-win pace or better. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, but teams like the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves all consider themselves contenders as well. 

But which of the teams from that second group are actually legit? Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague recently discussed the Houston Rockets and how he doesn’t consider them to be a real threat to win the Western Conference. 

“I love KD game but I don’t believe in the Rockets. They’re lacking a 2nd scorer foreal, like Şengün can score and make plays sometimes or whatever. But if KD not having a monster night, I just don’t believe in the other guys.”

Teague is right that the Rockets don’t have a classic secondary scorer. The Nuggets have Jamal Murray, the Timberwolves have Julius Randle, and the Lakers have Austin Reaves. What Teague may be overlooking, however, is that Alperen Sengun is a legit scoring threat on most nights. Sengun averages 20.2 points per game, and also leads the team in assists. Last year, the Rockets didn’t even have a scorer nearly as good as KD, and they still were one Buddy Hield heat-check away from making the second round of the playoffs. 

The Rockets could definitely do some damage come playoff time. But Teague is right in that they will struggle to score once NBA defenses pick up their intensity. If players like Reed Sheppard or Amen Thompson can pick up the scoring slack, the Rockets could be destined for a deep playoff run.