Revisiting our (overly optimistic?) Rockets preseason predictions

Jabari Smith Jr. #1 of the Houston Rockets reacts during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 26, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio.Friday night marks the penultimate game of the 2022-23 season for Stephen Silas and the Rockets, ending a year that featured little of the progress eyed by the organization in September and October of last year.

Houston's coach and the team's brass didn't exactly outline playoff expectations before this season, but there was an underlying current of optimism that the franchise would take a step forward after back-to-back years in the Western Conference cellar. Such plans didn't come to fruition. The Rockets enter Friday…