Houston Rockets: 2017-18 player grades for Chris Paul

In his first season with the Houston Rockets, Chris Paul showed an ability to coexist with another superstar ball-handler.

When Chris Paul was brought aboard the Houston Rockets via a trade this past offseason, questions were swirling about how the nine-time All-Star would fit next to James Harden.

As someone who was used to singlehandedly running the offense, Paul would have to learn to relinquish control on the offensive end, as Harden had established himself as one of the game’s best floor generals under Mike D’Antoni.

Sure, Paul could say all the right things, talking about how he actually wanted to play with the bearded one, but until the two meshed on the court, it was just lip service from CP3.

As evident from Houston’s 65-win season highlighted by a trip to the Western Conference Finals, Paul thrived with the Rockets, averaging 18.6 points on 46.0 percent shooting to go along with 7.9 assists and 1.7 steals a game.

In 15 playoff games, Paul was even better, putting up 21.1 points on 45.9 percent shooting with 5.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

Despite what most would consider a fantastic inaugural season with his new team, CP3 would be the first to call it a failure, as a hamstring injury kept him out of Games 6 and 7 against the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals, opening a door the Dubs would walk through on their way to the NBA Finals.