The shocking news that general manager Daryl Morey is leaving the Houston Rockets is expected to create a seismic shift in an organization that seemed to have peaked in terms of their ability to contend for a championship.
But how will the departure of Morey, along with the decision to part ways with head coach Mike D’Antoni, impact the product on the court? Paul Pierce believes that whoever comes in can’t simply ask James Harden, a perennial MVP candidate and the one consistently positive thing for the Rockets during this era, to change his game. Instead they need to do a better job of surrounding him with pieces and gameplans to succeed, particularly in the postseason.
“It’s really hard for me to watch James Harden’s game and say ‘Something’s gonna change.’ When you’ve got a guy who has been the MVP race the last six-seven years, a Top 5 player, how do you ask him to change? You have to put better players around him,” The Truth said. “James Harden is a guy who needs the ball. He’s had historic seasons. They’ve won a lot of games, they’ve been on a lot of deep playoff runs, so how do you ask him to change his style when he’s been successful at it? At this age, I’m not sure there is anything that’s going to change with Harden. I think what’s around him has to change.”
Watch the conversation below and watch The Jump, weekdays at 3pm ET on ESPN.
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