Chris Paul says he learned to lead teammates who didn't care much with the Rockets: "When I was in Houston, it was so different"

Chris Paul says he learned to lead teammates who didn’t care much with the Rockets: “When I was in Houston, it was so different” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

With a decorated career spanning over two decades, Chris Paul is undoubtedly a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Moving from one team to another in recent years, he managed to have an impact each time. He is highly revered for his playmaking, leadership, and effective scoring.

Despite all the above credentials, Paul has often been categorized as a bad teammate, a narrative that stemmed from his Lob City days on the Clippers. His highly competitive nature and dictatorial style of leadership ruffled feathers with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

However, when he was traded to the Houston Rockets, his approach towards things changed. The credit for this goes to one of the coaches on the team, who made CP understand that the hardest thing for him to do was playing with players who didn’t care as much as him.

Sharing his experience on the Rockets, Paul recalled how he decided to focus on things that were within his control. Sharing some of the incidents that prompted him to do so during a 2023 interview with GQ.

“When I was in Houston, it was so different,” he said. “When you play sports or whatnot, it’s usually so structured: you got to wear practice jerseys or you got to do this, that, and the third.

“That Houston team, we just sort of wore whatever you wanted to wear to practice. We’re playing at 2:00? You can be there at 2:15, 2:30. It was kind of mind-boggling to me at the time. It was different. But once you start getting into it’s like, ‘Man, just win games.’ Win games. Whatever somebody got to do to get ready for the game, do what you got to do,” shared CP, who spent two seasons in H-Town.

Stint with the Rockets

The situation in Lob City had begun to crumble towards the 2016-17 season. Injuries and playoff disappointments were seen as major reasons behind it. The growing tensions between Paul and other teammates like Griffin and DJ only made it worse. This eventually led to him wanting out.

His preferred destination was Houston, which he communicated to James Harden as well. This was a win-win situation for both, especially since former GM Daryl Morey had been trying to recruit Paul for a long time now.

The Paul-Harden pairing meshed well from the get-go, as the Rockets finished with the best record (65-17) in the 2017-18 season. Clinching a spot in the WCF, they almost had the Warriors superteam on the brink of elimination hadn’t it been for CP’s hamstring injury.

His final 2018-19 season with the Rockets saw him dealing with suspensions, hamstring injuries, and a slump. Nonetheless, they made the playoffs, facing the Warriors once again.

This was a repeat of last year’s results. Another postseason ouster, there were rumors about Harden wanting Paul out due to their contrasting working styles. Ultimately, the Point God was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook.

Adopting a more individual-centric approach

Paul’s evolution from a demanding, detail-obsessed floor general to a more patient, adaptable leader didn’t happen overnight—and it didn’t come easily. But that evolution extended his career, reshaped his reputation, and helped him find peace in a league that never stops shifting.

From the structured grind of Lob City to the organized chaos of Houston, and now as a veteran guiding Wembanyama in San Antonio, Paul has learned to lead in more ways than one. At 40, he’s no longer trying to control everything. He’s just trying to win — and help others do the same.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.

Chris Paul says he learned to lead teammates who didn’t care much with the Rockets: “When I was in Houston, it was so different”

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