As much as people b**** and complain, this guy is still integrating himself and his game into our play style. Chris Paul's transition was rather seamless because his play style fit perfectly next to Harden's. Russell is another type of player that needs an offense to be tailored around him.... sound familiar? There will be ups and downs this season but I'm confident that these guys will have it figured out by the AS break. If we don't, the Warriorless playoffs will not be as fun as we envisioned this year.
What's strange is that the media freaked out about the Paul acquisition - "THERES ONLY ONE BALL. IT WILL FAIL. HOUSTON WILL IMPLODE." The same reaction happened with Westbrook, but more muted. And Westbrook is the tougher fit.
he also makes people better, oladipo credited his year of playing with Russ as a contributing factor for his success with pacers
I remember that. Everyone was up in arms because they both (CP and Harden) played the PG position. Which was nuts to me because prior to that season Harden was a playmaking SG for the majority of his career. Westbrook on the other hand was more of a scoring PG for all of his career and still is to this point. Labels/positions mean nothing when you actually consider what matters; fit and play style.
I was very critical of him on OKC. I appreciate him coming here and have valued his contributions. I believe he is going to grow in a even bigger leadership role, you can see the chemistry growing with some of his teammates. There is a case to be made, as some have already mentioned, we have not yet the team that fits our 2 stars. I have enjoyed the end of Q3s and start of Q4s as those has been the moments where he attacks the most. Biggest things to focus for him (personal opinion of course) Get at least one action that combines his skills with Harden. We have actions for one or the other, but not combining both. One of the reasons why I believe Lebron-AD partnership has worked so well so quickly, is because they are ideal pick and roll partners. Improve his Pick and Roll chemistry with Capela. I believe that has been one of the combinations where we have not seen Capela step up and Harden has also decreased the usage of CC's. We need to improve our roll efficiency in order to open a couple of additional feets for our 3pt shooters.
He was hooping (or so it seemed) and the Rockets were down 20. He chilled out and we found a way to win. Offensively, for the duration of an entire game, he can seemingly do no right. Lulz.
