The Houston Rockets want to preserve Chris Paul this season

The Houston Rockets plan to strategically rest Chris Paul throughout the season in order to keep his body as fresh as possible for the playoffs.

After Chris Paul’s hamstring injury in the Western Conference Finals demolished their championship hopes, the Rockets will take a more cautious approach with the star point guard’s workload this season.

The 33-year-old Paul also missed 24 games in the regular season, his most since the 2009-10 campaign.

Now that Houston has James Harden, Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Knight on the roster, they have the depth at point guard to lighten Paul’s workload. The Rockets plan to strategically rest CP3 throughout the season, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko (h/t Bleacher Report’s Rob Goldberg).

“The Rockets don’t want to overextend CP3 during the season, and they have the depth to steady the ship on the nights he rests.”

Last year, Chris Paul limped around in the season opener due to a bruised knee. After the game, I wrote an article explaining why the Rockets should play it safe and rest him until he is 100 percent healthy. The same theme still applies a year later. The Rockets need to be healthy and in tip-top shape for May and June, not November and December.

Giving Paul a little rest here and there also won’t prevent Houston from having a real shot at the No. 1 seed. The Warriors won’t rush DeMarcus Cousins back from his Achilles injury, and the rest of Golden State’s roster could experience a slight early season lull after winning the last two championships.

Paul will play in most, if not all, of the important games but he’ll probably get a few nights off against lesser teams. By resting CP3 against the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings of the NBA, the Rockets can preserve their star point guard for the playoffs and still beat up on their opponents. That’s a win-win for everyone.