3 reasons Chris Paul makes the Houston Rockets unbeatable
3. Houston’s offense has been more dominant with Paul on the floor than Harden
James Harden might be regarded as the early season frontrunner to win the league’s MVP award, but no one can deny the impact that Paul has on the Rockets’ offense. Serving as the lead point guard on Houston’s second unit, he’s found a way to terrorize tired starters and reserves on a nightly basis.
Since Paul’s return, Houston’s offense has managed to crush teams during stretches where the nine-time All-Star plays without Harden — posting an absurd Net Rating of +37.7 points per 100 possessions during their winning streak, while going on runs that put games out of reach before they even start.
On Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, Paul ignited the Rockets on a 25-0 run, where he was responsible for just about every basket during the team’s Harden-less stretch. Scoring 13 out of the team’s 25 unanswered points to go with three assists late in the first quarter, Paul’s presence on the floor has proven to be a huge luxury to his teammates in Houston.
"“We just want to put the pedal to the medal as soon as we get in,” Rockets forward P.J. Tucker stated told ESPN‘s Tim MacMahon earlier this week. “Get stops, get out on the break, fire everything up.”"
While no one should seek to diminish Harden’s on-court value to the Rockets, Paul has played an instrumental role in helping Houston’s offense establish a faster pace of play this season. He’s pushing the basketball up the floor and setting up teammates such as Trevor Ariza for wide open shots out on the perimeter in Mike D’Antoni’s offense.
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After Friday’s night showdown against the San Antonio Spurs, the Rockets boast a 119.6 offensive rating with just Paul in the lineup, with a +21.5 Net Rating over the last 12 games.
Should CP3 continue to have this type of success, then Houston could possibly be on the verge of putting together the greatest offensive season that the league has ever seen, with him and Harden collectively taking turns to punish squads that have no answer for them.