Rockets’ Chris Paul says he’s never had a teammate like James Harden who strategically takes himself out of games

Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul continues to be very impressed by James Harden’s strategic thinking when it comes to taking himself out of games.

Harden added another incredible performance to his career tally in Thursday night’s 126-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, with the reigning MVP going for 50 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes of action.

And while those numbers are incredible, it’s James Harden’s decisions as to when he should go to the sidelines for a quick break that has Chris Paul showering him with compliments.

Here’s what Paul had to say about his Rockets backcourt mate’s thought process, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

“It’s very rare that James will take himself out,” Paul said. “We were in a timeout and James told coach, ‘Give me a full minute, give me a full minute or two.’ I think that gave him the quick little breather he needed to finish it.

“I never had a teammate that’s capable of doing that. That’s why he’s the reigning MVP.”

There’s no doubt that Harden continues to find ways to gain an extra edge on the court, and that’s helped him once again be one of the best scorers in the NBA.

And after a tough stretch of games, the Rockets may finally be finding a little bit of a rhythm after earning their second straight home win.

Houston is still under .500 at 13-14 on the season, but another great performance from James Harden may allow this team to keep the momentum going when it takes on the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

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