As the NBA offseason comes to a close with training camp just a couple weeks away, fans are beginning to get excited about their respective teams.
One team that will look much different this year is the Houston Rockets, as after going 55-27 in Mike D’Antoni’s first year as head coach they made some wholesale changes to their roster this offseason.
Despite James Harden moving to point guard last year and having an MVP caliber season, the Rockets went out and got one of the best point guards in the league as they completed a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire Chris Paul.
While it has not yet happened, there has also been a lot of talk about the Rockets also acquiring Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony to give Harden and Paul a third star to play with.
If the trade does end up happening it is unknown how the three will be able to coexist, although they looked pretty good when playing together in a recent pickup game against other NBA stars, via Chris Brickley:
A post shared by Chris Brickley (@cbrickley603) on
In addition to that trio some of the other NBA stars that were playing include the reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, Kenneth Faried, Iman Shumpert and JaVale McGee:
One thing that is apparent in these videos is that all the players are ready to go for the 2017-18 season as they all look to be in tip top shape.
There has been a lot of talk this summer about Westbrook improving his game even more, which is scary considering last season he became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season, but that looks to be the case as no one could stop him in that video.
He will also be playing with some new teammates as the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Paul George this offseason. They should provide some good competition for the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Rockets this season in a loaded Western Conference.