James Harden and Russell Westbrook’s first season as teammates put the NBA on notice as a potential threat in the Western Conference.
The two ISO scorers and ball-dominant guards will enter the 2020-21 NBA season with high hopes of winning an NBA championship. Just like anyone else, those hopes seem farfetched when new faces are integrated in the front office. After the departure of Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey, the Rockets yearly title contention seems bland.
Despite the previous trade rumors on social media involving Westbrook in a trade to the New York Knicks, it seems possible Westbrook could be dealt due to his inability to remain efficient.
Westbrook averaged 27 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds last season shooting 25 percent from the three-point line. Although Westbrook game is geared towards slashing and getting to the rack, a trade would solely be based on his fourth-quarter play making ability and three-point shooting.
In the wake of the departures of head coach Mike D’Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey, Harden and Westbrook have expressed concern about the direction of the franchise through direct conversations or discussions with their representatives and the Rockets’ front office, sources said.
Although neither player has requested a trade at this point, that scenario has become a plausible eventual possibility.
The Rockets are the Milwaukee Bucks of the Western Conference. A regular-season team with a deadly scorer that always falls short when the pressure is on in the playoffs. With the new head coach Stephen Silas leading the way, expect for changes to be made if the hump remains hard to get over.
Flip the page for Harden and Westbrook’s best plays last season.