The Houston Rockets are in prime position for a sensational 2025-26 season. Rockets fans will be closely following the success of another team, too, though. And not only that, but actively rooting for them against every non-Rockets opponent. The 2025-26 Los Angeles Clippers are like a do-over of Houston’s so-close-and-yet-so-far 2018 roster.
Every Rockets Fan’s Second Favorite Team in 2025-26
Many Rockets fans have probably been rooting for whatever team James Harden has been on since he left Houston in 2020. With Houston, Harden finished top two in MVP voting in four out of five seasons from 2014-15 to 2018-19. While his exit wasn’t entirely without acrimony, most Rockets fans acknowledged the team’s title window had closed.
Arguably, Harden and the Rockets’ title window was closed by Chris Paul‘s hamstring injury in the 2018 playoffs. That team won 65 games in the regular season and was up 3-2 in the Conference Finals against the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. After Paul went down, the Rockets lost the next two games, including a Game 7 that saw them miss 27 straight threes.
The Rockets were still a competitive team in 2018-19, but Paul had a down year coming off the injury. His production took such a hit that he felt the need to overhaul his diet, and Houston felt the need to trade him for Russell Westbrook. That Westbrook and Harden backcourt was once again competitive in 2019-20, but the heights of the 65-win 2018 squad were not to be reached again.
Harden and Paul Reunited
For 2025-26, Harden and Paul will be reunited once more. Harden’s Clippers brought back Paul for what may be his final NBA season. In 2024-25, Paul showed that he can still contribute to winning basketball. He averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists, leading the team in win shares. Short of a Rockets championship, many Houston fans hope the duo can resolve their unfinished business. The Clippers are well-positioned to let them do so.
Last season, Harden had something of a bounce-back year, averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. He was also an All-Star and third-team All-NBA member. Really, though, Harden has been essentially the same player since his own hamstring injury with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21.
Harden’s Post Prime Production
After his hamstring injury, Harden went from averaging 46.6% from the field in 2020-21 to 41.0% from the field in 2021-22. It’s mostly remained just above 40% ever since. His athleticism has waned in such a way that he can no longer easily create scoring opportunities for himself at the rim nor easily convert them once he’s there. But, Harden’s strength and craftiness have allowed him to persist as a top-shelf offensive creator.
In 2023-24, his first season with the Clippers, Harden’s scoring dropped to 16.6 points per game. His assists dipped below the double-digit mark for the first time since leaving Houston as well, but that was only because he was sharing the ball with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and, once again, Russell Westbrook.
With fewer egos to divvy out possessions amongst, Harden’s production shot back up in 2024-25. So too, admittedly, did his turnovers. He averaged 4.3 of them per game last year, similar to his averages in his prime. The addition of Paul as another playmaker for the team should help bring those back down. Still, the main thing to bounce back for Harden was his popularity among voters. Messy exits from Brooklyn and Philadelphia soured plenty of opinions on him. 2024-25 sweetened them again. 2025-26 could sweeten them even more.
A Formidable Clippers Roster
Even with diminished versions of Harden and Paul, the Clippers will be a force next season. Paul isn’t the only new addition to an already potent Clippers rotation. They also snagged a post-no-trade-clause-buy-out and suddenly non-negative-value Bradley Beal. The departed Norman Powell was admittedly excellent for the Clippers last season and barely missed out on an All-Star spot. Assuming good health, though, Beal seamlessly replaces his production. Meanwhile, in John Collins, the Clippers finally acquired an actual power forward for the first time in Leonard’s six-year tenure with the team. Specifically, he should provide some much-needed athleticism to an otherwise aging roster.
The Last Word
The Clippers will be a popular team amongst fans of late 2010s basketball in general. Their 2025-26 roster is like an NBA “Expendables” reboot, resplendent with not-quite-forgotten stars from the past. The inclusion of Harden and Paul together makes them particularly special to Rockets fans, though. Harden and Paul’s 2018 run will forever hold a place in Rockets fans’ hearts. All it was missing was a happy ending. In a way, this is a chance for it to get one.
But, there’s a caveat: the Rockets are looking to compete for a championship themselves this season. After all, nobody wants their second favorite team to win at the expense of their favorite. With the Clippers and Rockets both looking like potentially strong playoff performers, Rockets fans might have some internal conflict in their futures.
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