Houston, do we have a playoff team?

Folks, this is a question we need to start asking, because the Houston Rockets look like a team on the ascent. And really, wasn't that the entire point of going out and hiring Ime Udoka? Wasn't that the point of signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks? Isn't this exactly what we should expect from a team with as many young and interesting building blocks as the Rockets? And after a big win over the Denver Nuggets, isn't this the exact kind of quote you'd want to hear from one of those building blocks?

“It's a big boost. Defending champions, we know how good they are,” Jabari Smith Jr. told reporters after the game, per a tweet from Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610. “We know how locked in we have to be on their actions and just how they play as a whole going into the game, so it's a big plus that we can go in and execute and beat them.”

Now look, I'll be the first to acknowledge that we're not even a quarter of the way through the season. But let's just look at the facts:

-The Rockets are 8-3 since starting the season 0-3

-The Rockets are 8-1 at home

-Five of the Rockets eight wins have come against the Denver Nuggets (x2), Sacramento Kings (x2) and Los Angeles Lakers

-Four of the Rockets six losses have come by an average of only 4 points

-If the Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, they'll win the Western Conference Group B of the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament and advance to the Knockout Stage

-The Rockets eliminated the Nuggets from the In-Season Tournament with their 105-86 win over Denver on Friday night, withstanding a huge outing from Nikola Jokic, who went for 38 points, 19 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals. The Rockets, meanwhile, hit Denver with a balanced attack… 25 points from Jalen Green led the way, 21-15-8 from Alperen Sengun (learn the damn name!), 17-6-11 from Fred VanVleet, and 16 points and a career high 15 rebounds from Jabari Smith Jr.

There's no need to plan a parade through downtown Houston just yet, but this situation with the Rockets is definitely one worth monitoring.