The Houston Rockets felt they hit the jackpot when they traded for James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder right before the season started.
The team called him a "foundational player" and signed him to a five-year contract. Through three games, he has proven to be more than worth it for the Rockets, averaging 35 points and helping the team to two wins.
Harden will be familiar with one of his opponents, Denver's Andre Iguodala, who he played with on the U.S. Olympic team over the summer.
"We had a great summer together and one of my good friends, excited to play against him," Harden said to the Associated Press. "Obviously he's on a new team as well."
Harden won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Thunder, but couldn't agree to an extension with the team, prompting the trade. Primarily coming off of the bench, Harden scored 12 points per game last season in four matchups against Iguodala and his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
"He does similar to the things I can do as far as making plays for his team, kind of an all-around player," Harden said. "It's going to be a tough matchup for me but this is what the NBA is all about."
Iguodala has taken the top role with the Nuggets after being traded in the offseason. Although the team has lost three games on the road, Iguodala has played very well, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the team's first win Tuesday against Detroit.
"He was a presence everywhere, on every part of the court," forward Danilo Gallinari said. "He's great for us when he plays like that."
The Rockets have high expectations this season after acquiring Harden. The team already added free agent point guard Jeremy Lin as well as center Omer Asik. Lin has been solid for the Rockets so far, averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 assists.
"James Harden has started off well," Iguodala said. "Jeremy Lin is playing well."
Lin came to prominence last season during a winning streak with the New York Knicks. Dubbed "Linsanity", the Knicks won seven straight games and Lin broke out as an NBA phenomenon. During the offseason, the Rockets offered Lin a large contract that the Knicks refused to match.
Harden has adjusted to becoming the focal point of the Houston offense after playing a supporting role in Oklahoma City.
"We're going to go a different way because his talent dictates that but also we have to get him also moving towards us so we have a flow, a combination of both," McHale said.
Iguodala is known as one of the best defensive players in the league and will most likely be matched up against Harden on Wednesday night.
"He's a heckuva defensive player so he's probably going to be guarding our heckuva offensive player, so that'll be exciting but at the end of the day it's a team thing," Lin said.
Both teams have been rebounding the ball well, ranking in the top five in the entire league. Houston has greatly improved on defense from last year, allowing 97 points per game through the early part of the season.
San Antonio leads the Southwest division with a 4-0 record, but Houston could pull into second place with a win on Wednesday.
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