TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 14: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Western Conference and James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets and the Western Conference warm up before the NBA All-Star Game 2016 at the Air Canada Centre on February 14, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
James Harden and Russell Westbrook are teammates once again.
Both members of the Houston Rockets
Westbrook was moved in a deal for Chris Paul that shipped him to Houston from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Russell Westbrook’s first comments since being traded to the Houston Rockets.
Westbrook was on the inaugural Thunder team in 2008-09 after the team moved to OKC from Seattle. He made an immediate impact as a rookie, then proceeded to become one of the most dominant players in the league — and eventually the face of the OKC franchise.
After spending eight seasons partially in the shadow of Kevin Durant, Westbrook delivered three of the most dominant seasons in NBA history, averaging a triple double each year from 2016-17 through 2018-19 and winning the MVP award in 2017 along with his second scoring title.
“Houston could very well beat out all those other teams,” Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes told me on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
“So it’s gonna be wild.”
In the regular season, the Houston Rockets were dangerous behind the strong play of James Harden, the league’s leading scorer.
Harden ignited the Rockets and is the reason players like as Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker and Kenneth Faried thrive in the team’s offense.
Harden had the highest usage in the league (39.3 percent) but also ranked 12th in the league for assists per game.
During the regular season, the Rockets relied on making three-pointers or scoring easy buckets at the rim, particularly out of the pick-and-roll and are truly an analytics-era team.
The Houston Rockets led the league during the regular season in three-pointers attempted per game (45.4) and three-pointers made (16.1).
The Rockets benefitted from Harden’s ability to score and facilitate and benefitted from having one of the best offenses in the league.
If their offense is in top form, they’re a tough team to beat.
In the NBA Playoffs, Houston lost in Game 6 to a Kevin Durant-less Golden State Warriors.
Adding Russell Westbrook might just be the spark that they need.
Westbrook will team back up with James Harden, a duo which spent three seasons together before the latter was moved to the Rockets.
Prior to the deal, Russ and Harden managed to coexist while posting strong numbers in their final year playing alongside each other, but only scratched the surface of their scary upside.
“They’re ballers,” former Houston Rocket guard, Cuttino Mobley told NBA scribe, Landon Buford.
“They know how to play the game. Both of them can pass well. When you have two guys like that who are athletic and can score easy, it’s always a dangerous matchup for the defense.”
If Westbrook and Harden’s first year together in Oklahoma City are any indication of what the NBA can expect, then their cohesion could prove a lot of doubters wrong.
Per Heavy’s Jeff Smith: During the 2009-10 NBA season, Harden’s rookie season, The Beard averaged just 9.9 points per game. He averaged 12.2 points per game in his second season and has only gone up from there.
Westbrook averaged 16.1 points and 8.0 assists in year one and 21.9 points and 8.2 assists in year two.
NBA training camp begins next week. The NBA’s preseason and regular season begins next month.