With the incredible season James Harden has been having so far, it's only natural that Russell Westbrook has taken a bit of a back seat alongside his Houston Rockets backcourt mate. Teaming up with a player of Harden's caliber, it's easy to forget that Westbrook was the league MVP just three seasons ago.

And although he is playing second fiddle to Harden, the 31-year-old point guard is still putting up impressive averages of 23.5 points, 8.2 and 7.1 assists per game. He and Harden have led the Rockets to a 19-9 record and the second best points per game average in the NBA.

Westbrook is shooting the lowest field goal percentage of his career since his rookie season but he has been integral in the Rockets' success and Thursday's 122-117 win against the Los Angeles Clippers showed exactly why.

After being down 15 at halftime, Westbrook led the Rockets on a third quarter run that would eventually help them win the game. The 6-foot-3 point guard would end the game with a season-high 40 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists. Westbrook was also clutch from the free-throw line making 12 of his 13 attempts.

The Rockets were already a really good team without Westbrook on the roster. But, with Harden and Chris Paul, it seemed like the team's ceiling was capped at the Western Conference Finals.

When Houston made the blockbuster trade for the former MVP in July, it elevated that ceiling. At 19-9, the Rockets are tied for the fourth seed in the West. But at the same time, the team is only one game behind the second seed and has won four of its last five games.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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In the new era of dynamic duos, the Rockets have one of the most dangerous in the league. This is especially important in a conference that features duos like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

When Harden had a relatively off game last year, the Rockets couldn't really rely on the aging, oft-injured Paul to carry the scoring load. They have that now in Westbrook.

Harden scored 28 points against the Clippers — it's ridiculous to call that an “off game,” but for the season he's having, that's what it was. Westbrook proved on Thursday that's he's still capable of completely taking over games,

With Harden's noted struggles in the playoffs over the last few years, having another player with that “extra gear” should only benefit Houston.