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James Harden has been a member of the Houston Rockets for the last eight NBA seasons, and the franchise has entered the NBA Playoffs in each of those seasons.
They've had a single first-round exit during Harden's tenure, but the Houston Rockets have not found real success with 'The Beard' in charge of the offense. In this article, we will list the five NBA stars who could not find success with Harden at Houston Rockets.
5 NBA stars who struggled to find success with James Harden at Houston Rockets
Despite a couple of Western Conference Finals appearances in 2015 and 2018, the Houston Rockets could not beat the Golden State Warriors on both the occasions.
Less than a year after their small-ball philosophy, the Houston Rockets now have a different coach, a new GM, and new troubles with their star players.
James Harden has been an incredible performer for the Houston Rockets, but despite their regular-season success, Harden has not been vital in the NBA Playoffs. Of course, the Houston Rockets' failure to reach the NBA Finals in the last eight years is not entirely James Harden's responsibility, but he has been the common denominator.
Last year, the Houston Rockets acquired former MVP Russell Westbrok from the OKC Thunder on a trade that sent Chris Paul to OKC. Though Westbrook averaged 27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists per game and the record made the postseason with a 44-28 record, they fell in the second round of the NBA Playoffs again.
Now, reports have surfaced about Westbrook wanting to leave Houston to enjoy a similar role to the one he had with OKC. Westbrook would be the third future Hall-of-Fame member that does not continue to play with James Harden in the last two years.
This article will look at the five NBA stars that struggled to find success with James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
Clint Capela
The 26-year-old Swiss center, Clint Capela, was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2014, and was James Harden's teammate for the first six years of his career.
After two years of playing behind Dwight Howard, he became a regular starter in the 2016-17 NBA season.
He averaged 13 points and eight rebounds in his first year as a full-time starter. Capela had two great seasons in the following two years, averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds in the 2017-18 season and 17 points and 13 rebounds per game the following year, with James Harden running the offense.
Capela chemistry with James Harden was good; however, a three-point shooting philosophy had limited touches for Capela, and team success evaded the squad. Capela was essential in the Houston Rockets' seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19, but their post-season runs fell short.
Ultimately, the team decided to go all-out on their small-ball philosophy and traded Capela to the Atlanta Hawks on February 5th 2020.
Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard was 27 years old when he arrived in the Houston Rockets in 2013, while a 24-year-old James Harden was starting to become one of the league's top players.
To see these two players working towards team success was surprising. Still, the Houston Rockets were Top-4 seeds in the West during Howard's first two years, and played in the Western Conference Finals in 2015.
Howard averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks per game in three years with James Harden at Houston, but seeing him averaging only 10 shots per game shows something was missing.
Howard left the Houston Rockets due to alleged issues with James Harden.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony was James Harden's teammate at the Houston Rockets for the 2018-19 NBA season.
After the Houston Rockets dominated the West in the 2017-18 regular season, onboarding Anthony looked like a great signing. Still, he was not the player we once knew anymore, and his fit with James Harden and Mike D'Antoni's philosophy was not great.
The Houston Rockets signed Anthony in the 2018 off-season, trying to fill the void created by the departures of key assets Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. However, the fit was bad for the team, and Anthony only played 10 games with James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul was traded from the LA Clippers to the Houston Rockets in 2017, and he helped James Harden and the Rockets dominate the Western Conference in the regular season. The 2017-18 season was the best in franchise history, with 65 wins and the top seed in the West, and James Harden winning the MVP award.
Though Paul played 58 games in the regular season, the team was playing well, and pairing Paul and James Harden seemed to work. In the NBA Playoffs, the Houston Rockets reached the WCF, where they had a 3-2 lead against the mighty Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant.
CP3 was having a tremendous series before he suffered a hamstring injury in game five of the series and missed the last two games. The Houston Rockets then signed Paul for a four-year $160 million contract, but the team was not the same the following year and Paul and James Harden had their own personal issues.
Paul ultimately got traded to OKC.
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets in a deal that sent Chris Paul to the OKC Thunder.
Westbrook, a former MVP, had played with James Harden in the OKC Thunder during the early years of their careers. The pairing of two ball-dominant players was always risky, but they still managed to handle it decently during the regular season. However, Houston's offensive rating was not as high as the previous two years.
Sill, the team had a 44-28 record in the regular season, and it was interesting to see them in the NBA Playoffs. However, they barely managed to beat OKC in a seven-game series in the first round and then lost to the LA Lakers in five games.
Now, with Mike D'Antoni out and GM Daryl Morey leaving, Westbrook's displeasure with his role alongside James Harden has been reported, and the former MVP is allegedly trying to leave the Houston Rockets.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Bucks Looking to Trade Eric Bledsoe as Interest Grows for Houston Assets
Guess the Lakers players!
