NBA Players: 3 Things we learned from Chris Paul's tenure at the Houston Rockets
Back in June of 2017, the Houston Rockets gave away a large pool of players including Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, a handful of filler contracts, and a 2018 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in return for the Point God Chris Paul.
Fast forward to two years, the Rockets franchise is still devoid of that ever-elusive NBA title and moreover, the front office decided to trade away a package containing Paul and a heap of picks to the Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
“I hated that call. I’m sure he hated it more. He’s been such a great player for us. We were moments away from winning a title with him.” - Rockets GM Daryl Morey
As was expected, CP3's two-year stint at Houston incorporated a plethora of crests and troughs and so it was only fitting that we try to summarise the key aspects of his stay with James Harden's entourage.
#1 Megastars have a way of making things work despite the chemistry issues
Given their style of play and contrasting characters, it was tough to think of a peaceful co-existence for Paul and Harden on the floor. They're both ball-dominant guards carrying different ways to approach the game in a particular situation and as a reason, the duo did grind through minor issues during the past couple of years.
However, when winning a championship is the common goal, they never let their off-court differences affect the team's on-court results. In the bigger picture, the squad finished with a blazing 81-22 (78.64 win percentage) win-loss record when Paul shared the floor with Harden during his two seasons.
In all actuality, the Rockets were a tough team to beat when both of them were healthy and clicking. It clearly showed that when winning is all that matters, superstars find a way to leave personal matters outside the door.