Pair of Former Rockets' Stars Make HoopsHype's All-Time Point Guard List

The 2019 trade that saw the Houston Rockets send Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook was a bit of a head-scratcher, for a number of reasons. For starters, the Rockets came the closest to defeating a fully healthy Golden State Warriors superteam with Paul and James Harden in the backcourt, so breaking it up seemed a bit premature. 

In addition, Paul fit then-Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni's system perfectly. Certainly better than Westbrook.

However, Paul and Harden had reported friction, and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta felt that Paul was a bit overpaid for his level of production (although Paul was coming off a major hamstring injury heading into 2018-19).

Westbrook was certainly the better all-around player, after averaging a triple-double for three consecutive seasons and nabbing the MVP one season after Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City to join the aforementioned Warriors. 

And most importantly, Westbrook and Harden had a much better friendship and relationship, dating back to childhood, growing up in inner-city Los Angeles.

As it turns out, the Westbrook-Harden tandem lasted half as long as the Paul-Harden union, as the backcourt was split up after the 2020 bubble ended. They also made it to the second round of the postseason, like Harden and Paul did in the 2019 playoffs.

Both players have since become journeymen, which is par for the course when the end is near. Paul has since played for the Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and now the Los Angeles Clippers for his second stint and final season.

Westbrook has since suited up for the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, and Denver Nuggets, and is currently a free agent and expected to play again in the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season. But like Paul, Westbrook's playing days are surely winding down.

After all, he's 36-years-old and entering his 18th NBA season.

Both Westbrook and Paul are two of the greatest to ever play their position without a doubt. In fact, HoopsHype's Frank Urbina ranked them both inside of the top-12 at the position, with Paul coming in sixth and Westbrook coming in 12th.

The rationale for each is below, starting with Paul:

"The Point God, Chris Paul is one of the steadiest floor generals in NBA history, capable of acting as a head coach on the floor, getting teammates into the right spots, destroying opponents out of the pick-and-roll and scoring at a high level when needed thanks to his unreal touch as an off-the-dribble scorer in the midrange. The only thing still missing from his legacy is a ring, but he’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer with or without one. "

Westbrook:

"One of the most energetic players the NBA has ever seen, Russell Westbrook is absolutely tenacious every minute he’s on the floor, often fighting off bigger opponents for rebounds and flying down the floor in transition to throw down dunks. Of course, as is the case with basically every player, age has affected the former triple-double machine, and that athleticism and energy level have dwindled as Westbrook’s effectiveness pales in comparison to what they used to be. Still, Westbrook is undoubtedly one of the NBA’s best players ever, a literal cheat code statistically in his prime, and his career will probably be looked at even more fondly once it’s over."

The two floor generals are vastly different players with very different skillsets. Paul is a high IQ player and the last of a dying breed of pure point guards.

Westbrook is a freakishly athletic player, which we don't often see at the point guard position. He's also managed to lead the league in scoring on multiple occasions, despite not having a reliable long-range jumper. 

Neither has won a championship, and in an era where players are dinged for not winning titles, they've each received slights for that void on their respective resumes. But they'll both be in the Hall of Fame, whenever they choose to walk away from the sport.