It remains to be seen how James Harden and Russell Westbrook will co-exist on the court next season, as some critics foresee issues with the fact that there's only one basketball, but it seems as though to two former MVPs are gelling just fine off the floor.
The duo were recently spotted together at Drake's show in Las Vegas, and today video footage surfaced of them sharing a heavy bag at the UFC Performance Institute. As seen in the tweets embedded below, Harden and Westbrook were also joined by some of their Houston Rockets teammates.
Despite what the critics may say about the superstar pairing, Harden doesn't seem at all concerned about how well they will mesh on the court.
“It’s like, yo, we’ll figure it out,” Harden said in a recent interview with GQ. “Everything isn’t necessarily going to be smooth at first, there are going to be ups and downs, and that’s part of an 82-game season. Hopefully, by the end of the season, we’ve caught a rhythm and everybody is on the same page going into the playoffs. That’s all you can ask for.
He continued: “There’s a different kind of relationship and communication that we have, a different type of excitement that we have for each other. We don’t really care or pay attention to what other people say or think.”
Last season, Harden finished second to Giannis Antetokounmpo in the MVP race, as he led the league in scoring with 36.1 points per game to go along with 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds. Meanwhile, Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the third consecutive season, averaging 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per night.
The superstar duo, who last played together as teammates in OKC during the 2011-12 season, will kickoff the new season at home against Giannis and the Bucks on October 24.