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Houston Rockets: How Chris Paul and James Harden have managed to co-exist

By Gavriel Wilkins

Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images /
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After countless offseason speculation about how they would play alongside each other, Chris Paul and James Harden have managed to thrive as teammates with the Houston Rockets. Here’s how the dynamic duo has found a way to co-exist.

Prior to Chris Paul‘s official debut with the Houston Rockets, many experts wondered how the 32-year-old point guard could successfully co-exist alongside of James Harden in the backcourt.

The fiery floor general — who sought to team up with the laid-back star this past summer, found himself on his third team in six seasons, after guiding the acrobatic act known as Lob City with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Now, early-season apprehensions appear to be nothing but excessive anxiety, as the two All-Stars are in the midst of guiding Houston to one of its best starts in franchise history.

Since Paul’s return from a knee injury last month, the Rockets have continued to dominate teams in grand fashion — averaging 114.1 points per game, en route to winning seven straight games. The nine-time All-Star has proven to be quite the fit in Mike D’Antoni‘s scheme.

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"“I’ve never played with three guys around the 3-point line, just spacing the court,” Paul said to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.“I know I can shoot it. I know I can score and stuff like that. I don’t have to. I’ve always been a guy that takes what the defense gives me. If you’re off me, I’m a shooter. If there’s two guys on me, I’m going to find the open guy. I always heard that I love to dribble…but I’m loving this.”"

Through his first eight games, Paul is averaging 12.4 points, 9.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game for Houston, yet he appears to be playing more efficient with Harden than any other backcourt mate in his entire career, despite averaging career-lows in points and minutes per game.

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Paul currently owns the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league, and is on pace to average a career-low mark in turnovers, while shooting a career-best 42.5 percent from beyond the arc this season.

All the while, he’s playing as loose as ever, and Paul and Harden — who have averaged only 18.6 minutes per game on the floor together this season — are managing to thrive primarily as solo acts, by each taking successive turns to guide the offense while the other sits on the bench.

Over the last three weeks, the Rockets have posted a +43.9 net rating when Paul plays at the point guard spot sans Harden, while Harden-led units have managed to produce just as much on the floor with a +32.7 net rating, per NBA.com.

However, the dynamic duo is not just finding a way to get things done apart from one another; they are also proving to be just as potent against teams together.

Since CP3’s return, the two have combined to post a net rating of +10.7 while sharing the court with one another in 128 minutes of action, and currently generate an offensive rating that is higher than some of top teams in the game today.

Although most Rockets fans are likely concerned about how the team will match up against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference, the early season success of Paul and Harden should be a positive sight to behold for those in Clutch City. Houston has not dropped a single contest since mid-November, and features arguably the game’s best offensive attack, as the Rockets pack a potent punch even if one of their two best players sits to rest.

This has to be quite meaningful for players such as Paul, a veteran who is slowly approaching the back nine phase of his career and is no longer the go-to option within an offense, yet still effective in stretches. For Harden, he finally has the secondary playmaker that he needs to help him shoulder the load that he carried throughout the playoffs last season.

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As a result, the two appear to be having the time of their lives on the floor, and their ability to successfully accommodate and play together has helped them become one of the league’s top tandems in recent memory.

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