The addition of Carmelo Anthony did harm more than good for the Houston Rockets as they ended up as one of the worst NBA teams earlier in the 2018-19 NBA season. When they officially removed Anthony from their rotation, some of their core players, including Chris Paul and Clint Capela, missed extended time due to injury. Luckily, during their absence, the face of the franchise and reigning MVP James Harden managed to step up and brought the Rockets back to the playoff race.
James Harden is back from posting incredible statistics, and as of now, he’s averaging 36.3 points, 8.1 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals on 43.9 percent shooting from the field and 37.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. If he remains consistent with his performance and stays away from injury, Harden and the Rockets are expected to make a huge noise once again in the Western Conference this season.
However, Los Angeles Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant doesn’t think that the Rockets’ current style of play can help them win an NBA championship title. In a recent interview with Rachel Nichols on ESPN’s The Jump , which is currently posted on Twitter , Bryant agreed that James Harden is doing a remarkable performance, but he thinks that too much relying on him on the offensive end of the floor will put the Rockets in a huge disadvantage when the real battle begins in the Western Conference Playoffs.
“I’m not a fan of it, in terms of winning championships. I don’t think that style is ever going to win championships,” Bryant said, as transcribed by Bleacher Report .
“But at the same time you have to keep your team’s head above water to win games, so you have to do what you have to do to win games and he’s doing that.”
Kobe Bryant is teaming up with award-winning Canadian writer Wesley King for a new children’s book series about basketball and magic. https://t.co/dbnrDDhTIb
— CBC Books (@cbcbooks) February 1, 2019
If the Rockets’ offense will be mostly orchestrated for James Harden, it will make it easier for opposing teams to devise a defensive plan to beat them in a best-of-seven series. Kobe Bryant suggested that Rockets Head Coach Mike D’Antoni should get Chris Paul back in the flow of their offense and create more ball movements.
Those words definitely carry some weight knowing that it comes from a player who won five NBA championship titles and considered as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Even if Kobe Bryant is wrong, the Rockets’ road to the NBA Finals is still expected to be tougher compared to the last two seasons, especially after the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, got All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins back from an injury.
