The month of January has been one of transition for the Houston Rockets.
In the last eight games, backcourt star James Harden has been in what could be his deepest shooting slump over eight seasons in Houston.
He still leads the NBA by far with a scoring average of 36.1 points per game this season, but in his last nine games, Harden is averaging 27.3 points on just 33.3% shooting from the field and 22.3% on 3-pointers.
In 34 games prior to the recent downturn, the 2018 MVP was averaging 38.4 points per game on 46.3% shooting and 38.6% on 3-pointers. He was Western Conference Player of the Month in December.
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Just as Harden has fallen on relatively hard times, backcourt co-star Russell Westbrook has picked up much of the on-court slack. Since the start of Harden’s January swoon, Westbrook is averaging 33.6 points (54.7% shooting), 9.1 assists, and 8.7 rebounds per game.
As of Saturday, that 33.6 scoring average from Westbrook over the past three weeks was No. 2 in the entire NBA over that period — trailing only Kawhi Leonard (34.1) of the Los Angeles Clippers.
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But it seems the 2017 MVP is working to lift the Rockets off the court, too. After a tough Jan. 15 loss at home to Portland, Westbrook led the Rockets in a team meeting to try and sharpen their focus. It seems to be paying off, since the Rockets (28-16) have bounced back this week with consecutive wins after a season-long losing streak of four games.
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With that said, considering Westbrook is in his first season in Houston and Harden his eighth, some may have wondered how Harden felt about a newcomer taking such an aggressive leadership style on his team.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, there’s a simple answer: Harden is fully embracing it. Charania writes:
The recent losing stretch has led to more dialogue, and often times it has been Westbrook leading the charge, with no signs that Harden is irked by any of it. On the contrary, there’s a renewed closeness between the two. That’s in contrast to last season when Harden and Chris Paul were at odds during some points over how the Rockets played on offense.
“Russell’s a good leader, and we’ve needed the motivation,” one source with knowledge of Westbrook’s message said.
“[Westbrook] has shown his frustration, but the room has needed the message,” another person said.
NEW Inside Pass from NBA Insider @ShamsCharania:
Russell Westbrook increasing leadership role for Rockets, recently delivering a message to his teammates:
We need to commit to win, play with no agendas.
More on the 🚀s + trade talk from around NBA👇https://t.co/weeTWTpWlM
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) January 24, 2020
Per Charania, Westbrook’s recent messages to the team — extending well beyond just the Jan. 15 postgame scene — have focused on the need for the Rockets to play together with a commitment to winning, without any individual feelings or agendas.
Rockets players, coaches and team officials are said to believe that Westbrook’s recent efforts are a strong sign of motivation and leadership. Westbrook wants badly to win, wearing his passion on his sleeve as he always does, and there have been several passionate messages from him in team settings, according to sources.
According to Charania, Westbrook’s comments were made with hopes of building proper team habits as the 2019-20 season moves along.
For the Rockets to regain their expected status as contender for the 2020 NBA title, Harden has to break out of his January funk. But assuming he does, perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise if the team’s downturn helped prompt Westbrook to grab the reins as its emotional leader — a position he seems more comfortable with, relative to the quieter Harden.
The Rockets return to basketball Sunday afternoon at Denver (31-14), though Harden is questionable to play with a bruised left thigh. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Central time.
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