What’s holding back the Houston Rockets from championship glory?

The Houston Rockets haven’t won a championship since the 1995 season, which should’ve changed recently. We examine why that might be the case.

James Harden was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets on October 27th, 2012 in one of the most lopsided trades of all time. Since arriving in Houston, Harden has been a seven-time NBA All-Star, two-time scoring champion, 2016-17 assist leader, 2017-18 MVP and the Rockets have made the playoffs every year.

Prior to the Harden trade, the Rockets missed the playoffs the previous three consecutive years. Many might say Harden was robbed of MVP a couple of times. It’s safe to say Harden has had a great impact on the team, becoming a full-blown superstar in the process.

So far, in eight seasons with the Houston Rockets, Harden is averaging 29.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Branching out from what was a sixth man role with OKC, Harden eventually became a top-five player in the league as well as an all-time great scorer and shooting guard, especially since the Rockets hired Coach Mike D’Antoni four seasons ago.

General Manager Daryl Morey decided to take more of an analytical approach when forming this current team, rolling with the “threes and layups” style offense, which many have felt is the reason the Rockets haven’t won it all. But, the real reason is actually The Beard himself, James Harden.

Next: Postseason Struggles