James Harden and Russell Westbrook are two guys that just love to hoop. Both have been known to play through injuries and they aren’t the type of players to immediately look to the bench when they start to feel fatigued. However, that type of attitude can work against some players once they start to get older and the Rockets want to keep their stars in great shape.
Russell Westbrook has already entered his 30’s and James Harden will turn 30 on August 26. We’ve seen both Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, two all-time greats who have played a lot of extra basketball in the postseason, rupture their achilles either in the playoffs or at the end of the regular season in this decade.