Chris Paul And James Harden’s ‘Seamless’ Transition Has Even Surprised Mike D’Antoni


Getty Image

Chris Paul and James Harden are coexisting on the Houston Rockets. In fact, coexisting is underselling it a bit. The Rockets are playing extremely well with both guards on the court, something that was far from assured when Houston traded for the former Los Angeles Clippers point guard in June.

That cohesion wasn’t always assured, though, as plenty of people were skeptical that the ball-dominant Paul would be able to compliment Harden after he morphed into a dominant point guard in his own last season. But with Houston essentially keeping pace with the Golden State Warriors in the West, it’s clear by now that everyone in Houston knew what they were doing when they brought Paul in.

With Paul and Harden on the floor together, the Rockets have a 116.5 offensive rating and a 111.7 defensive rating. While that defensive number isn’t ideal, their incredible offensive output more than makes up for any defensive struggles the Rockets have had in adjusting when both are on the floor. When it’s Paul and Eric Gordon (115.3/86.5) or Harden and Gordon (118.1/97.3), they’re even better.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni seems thrilled with the two, especially with how well Paul has taken to the offense, and raves about what it means for his rotations, as he told USA Today’s Sam Amick.

“You’ve got a Hall of Fame point guard on the floor for 48 minutes,” D’Antoni said.

The transition and comfort he’s seen develop between Paul and Harden seems to have particularly impressed him. D’Antoni, Paul and Harden said from the beginning they weren’t worried about making it work with the two playing together, but even D’Antoni expected there to be some early struggles as the two figured each other out.

“I knew that Chris and (shooting guard) Eric (Gordon), or James and Eric, in the time that they’re together, would arguably be one of the best backcourts in the league – Eric is that good,” D’Antoni said. “And so, we start with that. And then it’s, ‘Ok, when they’re not on, it’s James and Chris. Can they do it?’

“It’s been seamless, (even though) I thought there might be some bumps. But because of their willingness, and their knowledge of the game and their willingness to share the ball, and Chris and James both willing to be the sidekick for a play or two, then it’s worked out quicker than expected…. It’s worked out better than our wildest dreams.”

What’s even more impressive about this is that the initial experiment was delayed for a bit when Paul went down with an injury against the Golden State Warriors on opening night. That means the chemistry is just starting between the two, but it’s already hard to argue with the results. Maybe those Drew League games together over the summer were more important to getting off of the right foot than anyone could have expected.

×