Had Eric Gordon duplicated last season, the Rockets would have been thrilled. Sixth Man of the Year. Three-point contest champion for fun. That would do.

The Rockets, as things have turned out, have needed more. They did not just need Gordon to start; they need him to star.

A team built around the two-headed monster backcourt of James Harden and Chris Paul, the Rockets have lost both to injuries this season. Paul went out for 17 games, first with a bruised knee and then with a strained groin. Harden has missed the past four games with a strained hamstring that is certain to be the most serious injury of his career.

That moved Gordon into the starting lineup, a role he had played through most of his career before signing on to provide instant offense off the Rockets' bench. But in the four games since Harden's injury, Gordon has brought a dimension to his game perhaps unexpected and unquestionably needed.

Gordon's assists have spiked with at least six in every game since Harden's injury to match the longest streak in his career. His average of 7.3 assists in those four games is more than double his career average of 3.1. He has done that while averaging 21.5 points to give the Rockets the sort of play they so obviously needed with Harden out.

"I just try to put it all together like a playmaker," Gordon said. "The only way we're going to win a championship is if we're all playmaking for each other and getting everybody involved. That's the only way we can win anything. It can't be just two or three guys scoring all the baskets. We need everybody involved.

"I definitely want to play-make. This is a good learning experience to get back to it. Usually, and when James is back, he's the primary ballhandler and I focus on scoring."

The Rockets did not just need playmaking out of Gordon to replace Harden. They need it because there are few other options to fill the role. He has increasingly been tasked with running the second unit - as Paul had before Harden's injury - as the Rockets have worked without a true point guard off the bench.

This is not unlike his role when Paul was out, but he has been more effective triggering offense this time, getting more assists in every game Harden missed than he had all but one of his previous 32 games. When Paul was out, Gordon averaged 3.1 assists and 3.3 turnovers. In addition to his 7.3 assists, he has averaged 2.75 turnovers since the injury to Harden.

"He handles the ball more," coach Mike D'Antoni said of Gordon's increased production, especially as a passer. "He's running more pick-and-rolls. Obviously, that's James' role. It's good to know we have that. Eric is another serious weapon out there. Maybe his game was always there. We're just tapping into it. He's finishing well. He's doing a lot of good things."

Leave driving to him

Gordon's scoring has picked up this season as well, with 20 points in 20 of his 36 games after reaching 20 points in 19 games all of last season. He has done that with his 3-point shooting down. After a shooting slump that began when Paul returned, bringing Gordon off the bench, he is making 34 percent of his 3-pointers, down from 37.2 percent last season. But since opening night against Golden State, when he drove to four three-point plays, Gordon has been much more aggressive off the dribble, an adjustment he said has opened the way to his playmaking now.

Gordon has averaged 2.1 field goals on drives per game, making 55 percent of his shots on drives. Last season, he averaged 1.1 per game.

But in the past four games, he has gone from averaging 2.8 shots on drives to six per game, and from 2.1 field goals to four. That would rank ahead of Harden for the second-most field goals on drives per game in the NBA.

"I'm healthier," Gordon said of his second consecutive season largely injury-free after so many issues in New Orleans. "Last year, (it) was good to test the water and knock down shots. This year is to put it all together. I think that makes us a better, deeper team."

Everyone must score

That has been especially true since Harden went out. Though the Rockets might have one healthy true point guard, Gordon has added playmaking in their first games without Harden for the most obvious of reasons.

"We need that," he said. "That's the only way. That the best way to play. The reason we lose is because our assists are down. When he's down, I have to play-make more. I have to create more. I have to create shots for others. I can get mine, but it's all about getting other guys going."