Are The Rockets A Playoff Team Without James Harden?

If the Houston Rockets trade James Harden, they will absolutely not be a playoff team because they will have to rely on John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins so heavily. Putting all of their faith in two guys who have suffered some major injuries over the years is extremely problematic and will not be a positive thing for this organization.

Sure, Cousins and Wall could have great seasons and be “feel-good” stories around the NBA, but they are in no shape to carry the Rockets through the gauntlet that is the Western Conference. The Houston Rockets averaged 117.8 points per game last season, 2nd most in the league, but James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined to score 52.2% of the Rockets total points per game during the regular season.

With both Harden and Westbrook gone, the Rockets could easily end up near the bottom of the league in scoring because they would not have a “go-to,” reliable scoring option on their team. Both Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker have been solid secondary contributors, but the question marks still come back to John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. 

It is just too soon to put a tremendous amount of faith in the two former All-Stars given their injury histories and as a result, if the Rockets do trade James Harden, they will not be a playoff team in the Western Conference this season. Even if they acquire a player like Ben Simmons from the 76ers in exchange for Harden, they still won’t be a playoff team in the West as a result of his lack of scoring. 

The future is not bright for this Houston Rockets organization and with their championship window closed, it is time to go through a dreaded rebuild process and hopefully, for their sake, they can get solid production from Wall and Cousins all season long.