Despite a 1-5 start to the season, the Rockets have found a way to stay in the Western conference playoff picture thanks to their MVP guard James Harden.

After a 65-17 campaign last season, the Rockets came a Chris Paul injury and a historically bad shooting stretch away from knocking off the Warriors. Houston decided to make significant roster moves in the offseason after the series loss in an effort to find that missing gear.

Those moves haven’t panned out. James Ennis hasn’t been able to replicate Trevor Ariza’s defensive ability on the perimeter. Carmelo Anthony lasted just 10 games with the team before being waived. In a conference where just one team is truly out of the playoff picture, the Rockets are already three losses away from matching last season’s total. Houston’s season appeared to be doomed.

Harden had other ideas.

The guard is essentially replicating his MVP campaign in an effort to keep the Rockets in the playoff hunt. In two separate win streaks during the season, Harden’s numbers were even better.

In Houston’s current four-game win streak, Harden has exploded. He’s torching defenders at all levels and more importantly, he’s getting to the free throw line routinely. Harden’s win-loss splits show the importance of the charity stripe for the guard.

Harden got to the line 13.8 times per game in Houston’s current win streak. He also recorded two triple-doubles during the stretch, including his fourth career 50-point triple-double.

During the current stretch, Harden has been the leading scorer in the league. He also leads the NBA in free-throw attempts per game during the win streak. There have been some questions about referees being favorable to Harden, allowing him to get away with things, but he’s been able to successfully draw a lot of fouls throughout his entire NBA career.

The issue for Houston is the lack of support for Harden going forward. The superstar is expected to continue his MVP-level play, but he alone won’t be enough for the Rockets to make the playoffs. Despite his astronomical offensive production, Harden had a 0.0 net rating over the winning streak according to NBA.com/stats. Here’s how the other Rockets fared during Houston’s current winning run.

Tucker has been on fire, but Gordon and Paul haven’t played up to their capabilities. Paul is dishing out nearly 10 assists per game, but Houston needs him to be a better scorer when Harden inevitably cools off. Capela remains a strong third option.

Because the Rockets get most of their assists from Harden and Paul, it’s important for players like Capela, Gordon and Tucker to provide lights-out scoring. As Houston integrates Brandon Knight into the rotation, his distribution skills will take some of that responsibility off the starting backcourt.

Harden’s recent play has lifted the Rockets above the .500 mark and poised the keep rising in the standings. The top seed and 14th team in the West are separated by just 7.5 games and teams 7-14 are 2.5 games apart. With Houston seemingly past its early season struggles and Harden returning to an MVP level, can the Rockets find the right balance heading into 2019?