Are the Houston Rockets wasting James Harden’s prime years?

The Houston Rockets are an excellent team with a superstar in James Harden, but have they done enough with his prime to win big?

James Harden and the Houston Rockets are heading into a do-or-die game seven against the OKC Thunder in the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday. You’d be forgiven for thinking that sentence was being used in the context of the Western Conference Finals, with so much at stake.

Instead, it is simply to escape round one of the postseasons, with a daunting matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers awaiting them if they can finally shake their one-time partner in Chris Paul. Failure to do so, at the hands of Paul, no less, will raise serious questions about the direction the Rockets are heading in.

As things stand that is already a fair question to ask, and it comes with another uncomfortable follow-up. Have the Rockets wasted the prime years of a generational player like James Harden? If not, what exactly can they do at this point to ensure that they put themselves in a position to win a championship, and soon?

At 31, Harden is bang in his prime. Love him or hate him, he is among the greatest offensive players ever. He may even be the most efficient scorer ever, words which grate on the ears of those who don’t like his game. There are many of those. But there is also no question that Harden is capable of being the best player on a championship team? Why haven’t they come closer to realizing that dream?

Bad timing is a factor here and is something the Houston Rockets could never have accounted for when they snagged Harden from the Thunder back in the summer of 2012. The rise of the Golden State Warriors coincided with their own ascension, and for years the Rockets were sent packing from the playoffs by the Warriors.

During this period they also did everything they could to surround Harden with the right talent to win. Firstly by getting Paul, who if not for a strained hamstring when up 3-2 against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals could have helped them back to the promised land. He was jettisoned last summer, with Russell Westbrook taking his place.

The contracts of both stars factored into the move, Paul’s deal looked unmovable for a time there, and there weren’t too many who questioned bringing the younger Westbrook for Paul. A point guard who is not only great friends with Harden but a former league MVP. It was a move worth exploring, and although it looked good at times this season, the postseason has been worrying.

Westbrook practically caused the Rockets game six and a chance to advance, and even though he was only coming back from injury, it does not bode well for the future of the franchise. If anything the Rockets look to be slipping further behind some of the heavy hitters in the West, and that is without the soon to be retooled Warriors around in the playoffs this year.

So the question has to be asked: Have the Houston Rockets failed Harden? At a time when other organizations have gotten all the help they could for their stars, the front office of the Rockets has instead leaned into a style of playing that can work, and can suit Harden, but is also gimmicky in its appearance.

Clint Capela, a capable center and pick and roll partner for Harden, was sent to the Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets deciding that, not only would midrange shots be taken out of the game plan entirely, but centers would too. During the regular season raining 3-pointers, taking easy layups and playing small constantly can work. But with the bigger Thunder having their way inside, some help would be nice.

The Houston Rockets’ core pales in comparison to the best in the West

This must worry Harden. If you look at the other true superstars in the league, they have gotten the help they need. The Lakers traded the Most Improved Player of the Year winner in Brandon Ingram, as well as a host of other players and picks, to acquire Anthony Davis. They form the most fearsome duo in the league.

Kawhi Leonard joined the LA Clippers, but only once he was fairly confident that Paul George would be joining him there. With a head coach in Doc Rivers and depth already in place, Leonard is in a great position to win it all. The same applies to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has seen the Milwaukee Bucks craft a roster around him over a number of years that compliments him so well.

He has inside help in Brook Lopez, and all the shooting around him he could hope for. What does Harden have? An erratic Westbrook, solid players like P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon and Robert Covington and reclamation projects such as Ben McLemore, Jeff Green and Austin Rivers don’t quite inspire the same confidence.

However, to the credit of the Houston Rockets, they appear to get the best out of discarded players in ways not seen since the San Antonio Spurs in their heyday with Tim Duncan. Bur Harden’s stats are mind-boggling and should be the foundation of having deep playoff runs year after year. He averaged 36.1 points per game last season. It unsurprisingly led the league.

In fact, Harden has led the league in scoring the last three years. The year before that he led the league in assists with 11.2 once the ball was put in his hands full time, and he’s been good for over 10 trips to the line per game for the last six seasons.

Harden is doing all he can to bring a championship back to Houston, but between trying to save money, risky trades and trying out new ways of playing during precious years in Harden’s prime, can the franchise say they’ve done the same?