New-wave dynamic duos overshadow Harden, Paul
Anthony Davis is a Laker. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are Nets. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are Clippers.
Russell Westbrook is on the trade market, with Miami spinning the wheels of the rumor mill. Yes, the same Miami Heat that just welcomed Jimmy Butler to the team.
Superstar duos are the trend of the NBA it seems.
It’s been a wild week in the league’s NBA free agency period and there’s still a long way to go. More moves are coming and more teams will have new identities headed into next season.
The Clippers are now the betting favorites to win an NBA championship next season, and it’s easy to see why. They have a stout lineup featuring Leonard, who led Toronto to its first title, and George, an MVP finalist.
The Nets will likely be the favorite the following season if Durant doesn’t suffer any setbacks in his recovery from an Achilles injury.
In the midst of all the changes, the Rockets went from one of the league’s most talked about teams to one of the NBA’s forgot
ten.
But a couple of years ago before superstar duos were popping up all over the map, the Rockets created one of their own.
Chris Paul and James Harden. While the two have recently made headlines for feuding — a report that has since been denied by multiple parties (including Paul) — the two used to be in the spotlight for another reason.
Winning basketball games. Other duos in the league might be bright, shiny and new, but Paul and Harden are nothing to scoff at.
Since Paul joined forces with Harden, the Rockets are 118-46 in two seasons. They made it to Game 7 of the Western Conference finals their first year together before falling to Golden State, then met the Warriors in the second round this season and lost to the defending NBA champs in six games.
In fact, the Rockets were largely considered the only team in the Western Conference equipped to give the Warriors (and their All-Star lineup of Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green) trouble.
After falling in the 2018 Western Conference finals — a series that ended with Paul on the bench with a hamstring injury — the praise was heaped on the Rockets and the backcourt duo that gave opposing defenses fits all season.
The argument that the Rockets would have won that series — and an eventual NBA title — had
Paul been healthy is a strong one.
Overall, the experiment worked. When Paul came to Houston, everyone wondered if he and Harden, two ball-dominant guards, could actually work together.
They did.
Putting two of the league’s best natural point guards together on the same team led to success.
A year later, the pair is facing criticism instead of praise. Their personal relationship is under question and no one is talking about what they can do on the court.
Paul is intense. He’s pushy. He barks at his teammates when they aren’t living up to his standards on the court. It’s not a secret.
Harden seems more laid back off the court, but he’s as competitive as they come. And what he’s accomplished as an offensive force in the last several seasons is truly outstanding.
They certainly have different personalities and playing styles. But they worked together and the Rockets won.
And if the Rockets had gotten past the Warriors in either of the last two seasons, there would be no rumors of turmoil and Paul and Harden would be on the list of powerful NBA duos.
The Rockets used Paul and Harden together to start games but mostly used Paul to run the offense for the second unit.
When they are both healthy, the Rockets can always have one in the game. Their offense is always being run by a guard who can score or facilitate. It’s a great mix.
According to general manager Daryl Morey, Paul and Harden will both be back with the Rockets next season.
If they can recreate the magic they’ve had before on the court, the Rockets will be a team to watch.
Other duos are emerging. And there are some good ones — ones that will lift the teams they are playing for.
But the Rockets have a twosome that has prevailed before. Paul and Harden aren’t in the conversation, but they should be.
There’s something to be said for continuity. The Rockets have their top eight players from last year under contract and could still make some changes, but keeping two guards together who have helped elevate an offense gives them an edge in a lot of ways.
When Harden and Paul are working together, the Rockets are tough to beat.
Superstar duos are the wave of the future in today’s NBA.
Houston has a pair that is capable of playing and winning itself back into being one of the best in the league.