2 reasons why the Rockets should want Chris Paul

2. Paul would do wonders for the Rockets' young core

It's well-known that Chris Paul has a history of reversing the situation of a franchise. Essentially everywhere Paul has been, he's morphed pretenders into contenders relatively quickly.

Paul arrived in Lob City in 2011, hoping to help a team that went 32-50 in his previous season transition into a contender and reach the second round of the postseason. The Clippers never missed the postseason with Paul, and even reached the Western Conference Finals. 

Paul was moved to the Rockets and helped raise the ceiling for the franchise, leading them to the top seed in the Western Conference with a 65-17 record in 2017-18, a ten-win improvement from a 55-27 record just one season prior. Paul was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder after the Rockets made a move for Russell Westbrook in 2019.

The Thunder weren't expected to contend, as they were given a 0.2 percent chance of making the playoffs. Paul helped the Thunder post a record of 44-28 in 2019-20, good for fifth in the Western Conference. 

Paul went to the Phoenix Suns, who went 34-39 just one year before his arrival, and lifted them to the second-best record in the West, 51-21 in 2020-21. Paul is a floor-raiser, not a ceiling raiser. 

In other words, if a team wants to ascend from the dregs of the league to one of the best up-and-coming teams in the conference, Paul is perfect for that. If a team is one piece away, Paul isn't the player to take them over the top.

For a young Rockets team that's seeking a culture change, Paul is perfect. Rockets' guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green will need to be shown how to be professionals and who else would be better to teach them than CP3?

Paul would do wonders with this Rockets group and would serve as a player's coach for Ime Udoka.