Western Conference executive says Russell Westbrook is an upgrade for Rockets over Chris Paul

Will former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden make it work in Houston?

That’s the question everyone in the Rockets organization is asking themselves following Houston’s megadeal to acquire former league MVP Westbrook from the Thunder for All-Star point guard Chris Paul and picks.

Harden last played for OKC when he went to the 2012 NBA Finals with Westbrook and Kevin Durant, eventually losing in five games to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Since then, however, Harden has grown into a star in his own right. He was traded in the offseason seven years back to Daryl Morey’s Rockets, eventually leading them to the Western Conference Finals in 2018. But Harden will need help, maybe in the form of Westbrook, to finally get over the hump and make it back to the NBA Finals.

One rival executive chimed in on the possibility of Harden and Westbrook working together, per Bleacher Report:

“The problem is they both need the ball in their hands, so it’s the same problem they had before,” a Western Conference executive told B/R. “But to me, Russ is an upgrade over Chris. You have a triple-double guy who’s younger and who can rebound better. The only difference is Chris shoots the three-ball better.

The anonymous executive also characterized Harden and Westbrook, both former MVPs, as “two alpha guys who wan to win,” and again classified Westbrook as an upgrade at point guard over the 34-year-old Paul.

Paul helped a 65-win Rockets team, along with Harden and Clint Capela, reach the conference finals, but apparently the mood favors Westbrook pushing Houston to great heights.

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