Forbes- Would The Rockets Look To Trade Chris Paul? Part 1

May 26, 2019, 02:46pm
Would The Rockets Look To Trade Chris Paul? Part 1


Rahat Huq
Contributor


The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported recently that Houston Rockets star guards James Harden and Chris Paul were involved in a verbal altercation following Game 6 of their series against the Golden State Warriors. This report of course has caused widespread speculation regarding the team’s future, particularly in light of the turnover amongst the team’s coaching staff last week.

But the fact that Paul and Harden had a disagreement in a moment as tense as the one which saw their season end is not the least bit surprising. And further, in and of itself, it isn’t sufficient reason for the team to trade Paul, as some have suggested.

The greater concern, however, is that The Point God isn’t just slipping - he’s almost certainly left the remainder of his prime in the rear view mirror. Despite looking spry after his return from injury this season, Paul came up small in what I considered the two biggest spots of the season: the March showdown at Milwaukee and in the semifinals against Golden State.


In a March 26 blowout loss vs. the Bucks, Paul shot 7-18 from the floor for 19 points and 4 assists. After the Bucks corralled Harden with an unorthodox defensive scheme, taking away his left hand, it was up to the rest of the Rockets to capitalize on the opportunities, mainly Paul who was brought in for such a role. He was not able to.

In the first five games of the semifinals against Golden State, before his 27-point explosion in Game 6, Paul averaged 14.6 points and 5.6 assists on 39% from the field, and 28% on 3's. In the pivotal Game 5, Paul turned in maybe the worst playoff performance of his career, scoring 11 points on 3/14 from the field, with three turnovers.
What was most striking was not the poor shooting but rather the total inability to get separation off the dribble against even the Warriors' big men. Several times, after being beat to his spot by his defender, Paul would get called for an offensive foul upon pushing off. For the Rockets' offense to work at its highest level, it needs Paul to be able to punish big men on switches in the pick and roll the way Harden routinely does and the way Paul routinely did just twelve months ago.

But it is not true to say Paul is finished as an impact player, as many have asserted. In the 582 minutes the Rockets played during the regular season with Paul on the court and Harden off, Houston had a +12.34 net rating. (With Harden on and Paul off, in 792 minutes, that was a +6.29. With both on, in 1130 minutes, it was a
+6.05. And with neither on, it was a -17.06.)

This is all to say that Paul can still be extremely effective. He is still elite or near elite in making decisions out of the pick and roll and running the fast break. He can still age gracefully the way John Stockton and Steve Nash did, the two closest comparisons to Paul in modern history in both body type and playing style. But for the Rockets' offense to run at peak capacity, against Golden State, with the team's current roster composition, the Rockets are relying upon Paul to do something he can no longer can.

In the next installment, I will explore the Rockets' options moving forward with Paul.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rahath...look-to-trade-chris-paul-part-1/#5a90593734cd