1. Chris Paul
With Harden potentially out for the next month, all eyes in Houston will be on Chris Paul, who will now go from playing off of the ball to taking over the reins as the primary point guard, as the 32-year-old seeks to lead the Rockets at both ends of the floor — all the while shouldering a significant workload during The Beard’s absence.
Despite coming over in a blockbuster trade six months ago, Paul should feel quite comfortable playing in the leading role with the Rockets, as the nine-time All-Star has served as the alpha dog on every team he has been apart of in his illustrious career. He’s also gotten adjusted to life in H-Town.
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The offense has dominated opposing teams just about every time Paul is on the floor, and should the conductor find a way to make critical plays during crunch time, then there is a strong chance the Rockets might be able to survive without the face of the franchise.