Houston Rockets superstar guard James Harden says point guard Chris Paul helped Houston a “tremendous amount” during his two years with the franchise.
Harden continues to deny the reports which said he and Paul didn't get along behind the scenes.
The Rockets had the best record in the NBA in Chris Paul's first season in Houston. Many believe the Rockets would have beaten the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference had Paul not injured his hamstring in Game 5 of that series.
This past season was up and down for Paul. The future Hall of Famer played in only 58 games during the regular season after suffering a groin injury in December against the Miami Heat. Paul missed 17 consecutive games due to the injury.
James Harden had to carry the load offensively while Paul was out, and he flourished in that role. The Beard led the NBA in scoring for the second consecutive year. At one point in the season, Harden scored at least 30 points in 32 straight games.
Paul supposedly wanted more ball movement on offense once he came back, while Harden was content with running the iso-heavy style he was thriving in. The two stars reportedly didn't see eye to eye in the playoffs, where the Rockets lost to the Warriors in the second round in six games.
Houston traded Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer in the blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade. Since the trade went down, though, Harden has said nothing but good things about CP3.