After losing to the Mavericks on the road, the Rockets missed the playoffs completely. This is also the fourth consecutive season that the Rockets have missed the playoffs since rebuilding. It is worth mentioning that they rejected Harden in favor of VanVleet in the summer, which is perhaps the biggest mistake, and if there is Harden, the Rockets can win a lot of close games, and they are only 4-5 games away from the playoff play-offs.
Compared with Harden, VanVleet has an annual salary of 40.81 million yuan, averaging 16.7 points and 8.1 assists per game. Harden's annual salary is only 35.64 million yuan, and he can still score 16.7 points and 8.5 assists. It looks like the two have similar stats, but Harden's stats are really obtained after giving up some of the shots. If Harden had VanVleet's number of shots, he would have scored a decent 20+.
What's more, as a superstar, Harden is hugely powerful. When holding the ball, he can score on a breakaway layup. Or a pull-up jump shot, a step-back three-pointer, and the world-famous porcelain foul, while VanVleet is easy to block after breaking through due to his short stature, and his scoring methods are limited to three-point shots and are very unstable, often missing repeatedly. Another point is that Harden, as a supergiant, once faced with a bag, his cracking ability is also the top in the league. If Harden plays for the Rockets, the opposing defense's attention will be entirely on Harden, and the rest of his teammates will have easy scoring opportunities.
However, it is useless for the Rockets to regret it now, and Harden will not return to the Rockets. All they can do is grit their teeth and persevere, but they are still far from rebuilding successfully!