Since Chris Paul was traded to the Rockets, there's been one lingering question: How will two ball-dominant guards play together? Answer: By playing to their strengths. Paul and James Harden have been training together since the deal, but were yet to play in public -- until Sunday night in the Drew League in Los Angeles. And although Paul started cold, there were certainly flashes of what to expect from the coming season.
Harden finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, and according to ESPN's Law Murray and Ramona Shelburne they exchanged ball-handling and playmaking duties throughout the game. The two played in front of a standing-room only crowd in Los Angeles, and they clearly aimed to please.
Paul's handles were on full display throughout the contest, and his style seemed to complement Harden's perfectly. Although it's obviously still a work in progress, the Rockets are doing the best they can to ease the transition. Per Shelburne and Murray, Paul and Harden's teammate Bobby Brown said that Houston would be taking another trip to the Bahamas to continue to work on team chemistry and learning the Rockets' offense, which is still dominated by the three point shot.
"That really helped us gel last year," Brown said. If Harden and Paul are able to gel, the arms race just may pay off for Houston after all.
