Rockets: 3 players who benefited the most from the NBA hiatus

Led by MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the Rockets were in sixth place in the Western Conference standings before the 2019-20 season got suspended.

Led by MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the Houston Rockets were in sixth place in the Western Conference standings before the 2019-20 season got suspended. The team had 40 wins and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final game before Rudy Gobert's positive COVID-19 test.

Rust is clearly going to be a factor for every player who will be partaking in the resumption of the season at Walt Disney World. However, turning a negative into a positive is a great way to live life and three Rockets players did that during the hiatus.

James Harden

Skinny James Harden took NBA Twitter by storm. The Beard lost a ton of weight during the hiatus and now a lot of pundits believe the Rockets can win it all since it appears Harden is finally in tip-top shape for the postseason.

In the past, Harden has gotten tired easily in the playoffs and worn down. Rockets fans are hoping that won't be the case this time around.

Before games were suspended, Harden was averaging 34.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 61 games. He was once again leading the NBA in scoring.

Russell Westbrook

COVID-19 wasn't going to stop Russell Westbrook from working on his insane body. The former MVP worked out with actor Kevin Hart and did some intense sand drills as well.

However, Westbrook was also able to get some much-needed rest on his knees. The explosive point guard has undergone multiple knee surgeries in his career, so the time off his feet was great for Russ.

Prior to the season getting suspended, Westbrook was averaging 27.5 points, 8.0 boards and 7.0 assists in 53 games for the Rockets.

Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon missed a handful of games for the Rockets this season after undergoing knee surgery in November to remove debris from his knee. The sharpshooter dealt with the injury for a while and could have gotten the procedure in the offseason of 2019, but he chose to play through the pain.

The hiatus must have been useful for Gordon to strengthen his knee. The former Indiana star and Sixth Man of the Year Award winner was averaging 14.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Rockets before games were suspended.

Whenever basketball resumes, the Rockets will need Gordon to be that third 20-point scorer behind Harden and Westbrook if the club wants to win a ring.