3 reasons the Rockets present James Harden’s best chance to win a title

3. The Houston Rockets’ addition of Christian Wood

The Houston Rockets signing of Christian Wood is one of the few highlights of the home team’s offseason. Of course, it’s a small sample size, but Wood in February averaged 19.3 points, nine rebounds, and shot 39 percent from downtown.

In March, albeit just a handful of games before the stoppage, Wood averaged 26.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and shot 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Wood looked even better in his one game this preseason, showing his ability to shoot from deep, handle the ball in the open court and finish at the rim.

.@JHarden13 ➡️ @Chriswood_5 pic.twitter.com/VapaNEkXSP

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 18, 2020

Harden, in his entire Rockets career, has never had a big man as versatile as Christian Wood. As a matter of fact, Wood is the most versatile big man Harden has played with since Kevin Durant.

The two displayed their chemistry in Thursday’s preseason finale, as Harden had no problem dishing his signature pocket pass to Wood in the pick-and-roll. This isn’t surprising as we’d heard that Harden and Wood had been playing together during the offseason.

It will be a huge mistake for Harden if he forces his way out before giving this Rockets team a real chance, as this would be a lot to walk away from.

Next: No. 2