Houston Rockets: Assists predictions for the star players

The Rockets have added an elite playmaker in Chris Paul to pair with the Beard this offseason. How will the assist numbers look this season?

Last year, James Harden singlehandedly ran the offense of the Houston Rockets. He destroyed his career high in assists on his way to an overall incredible season.

Harden’s previous career high in assists was 7.5, but last season he upped it to 11.2 last season while playing the point guard position. Chris Paul, on the other hand, had another stellar season in which he averaged 9.2 assists per game, slightly below his career average of 9.9. With both players in Houston now, will their passing numbers take a hit?

Predictions for assists numbers

In the D’Antoni offense that emphasizes passing and ball movement, both Harden and Paul should be able to average a decent amount of assists. However, both players will be sacrificing numbers for overall team success. Thankfully, the two should be perfectly happy to make that sacrifice as they really want to play with each other in Houston. Let’s make some predictions on the assist totals for the duo:

Chris Paul – 8.2 assists per game

Chris Paul is one of the best passers of all time and one of the most efficient ones as well. His career average of 9.9 assists per game with only 2.3 turnovers per game are a testament to just that.

This season in Houston, Chris Paul will have less opportunities to make plays. However, he should still be able to average a decent amount of assists. 8.2 of them per game is a realistic number to guess for a future Hall of Famer in the offense of the Rockets. The potential for CP3 to average even more than that is definitely there, though.

Clint Capela will be a very happy man next season.

James Harden – 9.6 assists per game

While I expect the Beard to take more of a hit assists-wise than CP3, I still think that he will lead the team in them. His pure ball-dominance and chance to get assists even as the off-ball guard will allow him to rack up the dimes. 9.6 of them per game to go along with a heck-of-a-lot of points will put him in prime position to be in the MVP conversation.

Good luck to defenses next season.

Combined: 17.8 assists per game

Last season, the two would have combined for 20.4 assists per game, but as they will be playing together I expect it to be a lower combined total. If they mesh instantly and well, maybe this number will be even higher by the end of the year.

This post is just one man’s opinion. Do you agree? Disagree? Be sure to let us know what you think! Vote in the polls below and follow us while you’re there!

How many assists per game do you expect CP3 to average next season! Reminder: he averaged 9.2 last year. #Rockets

— Space City Scoop (@SpaceCity_Scoop) September 4, 2017

How many assists per game do you expect the Beard to average next season! Reminder: he averaged 11.2 last year. #Rockets

— Space City Scoop (@SpaceCity_Scoop) September 4, 2017

*All stats via Basketball-Reference*

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