Rockets 2016-17 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

The Houston Rockets have a whole new feel in 2016-17.

For starters, the Rockets hired Mike D’Antoni to be their head coach, and he’ll bring his up-tempo, high-scoring offensive philosophy to Houston. And he knows that this may be the last coaching job he gets if he doesn’t succeed.

“As one of the last shots that’ll I have going forward, I wanted this chance to be able to get it all right,” D’Antoni said, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. “Try to get my vision that I think how basketball should be played and I think we can win that way.”

He has the personnel at his disposal to do that in Houston.

Superstar James Harden will lead the way, and he should benefit from the tempo and floor-spacing that D’Antoni will install. The Rockets were busy in free agency, adding Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon, who are excellent running mates for Harden, dangerous offensive weapons and excellent schematic fits in D’Antoni’s system.

Sam Dekker, the team’s first-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft, will also return after missing nearly his entire rookie season, and he could be another quality contributor.

The Rockets also brought in Nene Hilario to add depth behind Clint Capela at center. Those two will be tasked with replacing Dwight Howard, who signed with the Atlanta Hawks this offseason. Howard’s tenure with the Rockets was uninspiring, and the new-look Rockets seem to be better constructed to fit D’Antoni’s vision and complement Harden’s strengths.

That’s perhaps one reason why Harden was so comfortable signing a four-year, $118 million contract extension.

“You just feel it sometimes,” Harden said in July, per Watkins. “You got that feeling where everything feels comfortable. You feel love. You feel like people want you to be here and that feeling right there outweighs everything. The ultimate decision was to stay and make sure we get it done.”

But will the Rockets get it done?

Below, we’ll break down the team’s key matchups and title odds and project its regular-season record for the 2016-17 campaign. 

2016-17 Details

Season Opener: Oct. 26 at Los Angeles Lakers

Championship Odds: 50-1 (per Odds Shark)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

Golden State Warriors

First Home Matchup: Jan. 20

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