Chris Paul and James Harden are teammates now, and both are saying all the right things as the season grows near. Harden is excited to have help after a record-setting season in which the newly-minted point guard appeared to run out of gas in the postseason.
And Paul has a new opportunity in Houston after falling short a number of times with the Los Angeles Clippers. But many speculated that the pairing in Houston is an odd one, and that it might not be ideal for either player on Mike D’Antoni’s Rockets squad.
Paul is not one of those many, however. In fact, he fired back at those who anticipate trouble in Houston, even if the video evidence is inconclusive.
Paul spoke to The Vertical earlier this week about the pairing, and he was blunt about the criticism he and Harden received before they’d ever even officially taken the court together.
“I hate to say this, but somebody who says that, they obviously don’t watch enough,” Paul told The Vertical before helping the Rockets beat the new-look Oklahoma City Thunder 104-97 in his preseason debut Tuesday at BOK Center. “Somebody will say, ‘ball-dominant,’ but at the end of the day, you’re called on to do what your team needs you to do. If you’re a 3-point shooter, and the coach puts you in to shoot 3-pointers, are you going to say, ‘He’s just a 3-point shooter?’ The thing is, having the ability to have a guy who can create off the dribble and stuff like that is nice. And great.”
Perhaps Paul is right here, and he and Harden know better than all of us. After all, it was Harden who tried to get Paul to the Rockets in the first place. the two have spent the summer working on their chemistry, and they obviously have big expectations for a team that added Paul after reaching the Western Conference semifinals.
Paul also spoke a bit about his frustrations with the Clippers, saying twice that “it was definitely time for a change.” But his focus — well, everyone’s focus — seems to be making it work in Houston this season.
