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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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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.
