5 biggest questions for Chris Paul and the Rockets
By Dre Elder
3. How does Houston stack up against Golden State now?
Every team in the league is looking up at the Golden State Warriors. With the addition of megastar Kevin Durant, the Warriors cruised through the postseason to grab their second championship in three years. Not even the mighty LeBron James offered much resistance. His Cavaliers were dispatched in a much-hyped NBA Finals rubber match that turned out to be a quickie. So Daryl Morey decided he was not going to sit idly by and nabbed a future Hall of Fame point guard. How much did Houston close the gap by acquiring Chris Paul?
The short answer is not much at all. Yes, James Harden and Paul can match or exceed the talent of any backcourt in the league. But we’ve all witnessed how the Warriors are so much more than the Splash Brothers. This means the Rockets will need more than Paul to seriously threaten the reigning champions. Who on their roster can defend and offset Kevin Durant? The 2017 Finals MVP averaged 35.5 points, 9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game against Houston last season. How will they match up with Draymond Green? The Warriors still have twice as many All-Stars as the Rockets.
And though Paul just made All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time, Steph Curry has owned him over the last couple years. Curry posted 31.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7 assists per game against the Clippers last season. Golden State is still a few steps ahead of Houston right now, but the summer swaps have just begun.