Houston Rockets: 4 reasons why the Harden/Westbrook pairing will work

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Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Takeover ability and heart

Another reason a Westbrook pairing will be helpful for Harden is because Westbrook can take over games himself. So many times in the past, the Rockets start and stop with James Harden entirely too much. Even when Harden is lighting it up, it creates an overburdened load on Harden’s shoulders.

It also can be easy to defend when Harden’s shots aren’t falling. But the reason the Rockets are often forced to play this way is because no other players on the roster have had the ability to take over games on their own. Westbrook will surely be able to take over games himself as he has twice led the league in scoring himself.

Brodie is also all heart, chasing after every loose ball and going after every rebound which the Rockets need more of. This is reminiscent of PJ Tucker, who we know lays it all out on the line 100% of the time. I’ve never heard anyone question Westbrook’s heart or effort.

I think this is valuable is because when Westbrook doesn’t have the ball, he’s not just standing around. He’s going to find a way to get involved, whether it be making the extra pass or driving to the paint and motioning for the lob pass. Obviously Chris Paul doesn’t have the ability to catch lobs and finish at the rim.

Next: They want to play together