The Houston Rockets made one of the NBA’s biggest moves this offseason by trading for star point guard Chris Paul to pair him with James Harden to make one of the league’s most formidable backcourt combinations.
Paul will have to be re-signed next summer, but the Rockets went ahead and took care of Harden’s deal with a record-breaking extension to keep him around for five more years. For Harden, the addition of Paul takes some of the weight off his shoulders and allows him to share the scoring and creative burden with Paul. Behind Harden and Paul is sixth man of the year Eric Gordon, making for a strong backcourt rotation, and the Rockets also made other signings to bolster their depth at other positions like adding small forward P.J. Tucker and center Tarik Black.
Houston’s offseason moves, both big and small, have them looking on paper like they’ll be the best challenge to the Warriors in the Western Conference and maybe all of basketball this season. That has Harden excited about the prospects of his squad next season, and he thinks this will be the best Rockets team he’s been a part of.
In a recent interview with Vice Sports’ Michael Pina, Harden explained that he thinks this team has similar qualities to the best team he’s ever been a part of, the 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder that reachedu the NBA Finals.
Even though they have yet to take the floor, in our interview he referred to this year’s team as “by far” the Rockets’ best since his arrival in Houston five years ago. He was even willing to compare it to his Oklahoma City Thunder squad that made the Finals back in 2012.
“Both teams are similar as far as talent and versatility, a mixture of vets and young guys. Both are very, very, very talented,” Harden said. “Now, obviously, the difference is we were younger back then, but both are good.”
That Thunder team looked like it was the squad destined to take over the NBA, only to see the team broken up in the summer of 2013 when Harden was dealt to Houston. It’s a strong endorsement of this year’s Rockets team from Harden, but there are obvious differences in the two teams.
For one, no one on the Rockets occupies a Durant-like role on the wing, which remains the one question about this Houston team. The backcourt is strong and the center rotation is among the best in the league, but the weak point compared to the Warriors, where Durant is now, is on the wing. Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker make for a solid rotation at the three spot, but there is a question of whether they’ll hold up against Durant in a 7-game series — or Kawhi Leonard should they run into the Spurs first.
Otherwise, this Houston team appears to be built to challenge the Warriors in a series with depth at key spots and a pair of stars in the backcourt capable of taking a game over. Harden’s comparison to the 2012 Thunder might not be perfect, but he’s probably correct in claiming this Rockets team as the team he’s been a part of that could challenge that team as the best of his career.
