James Harden
James Harden is one of the youngest players on this list, currently only 26 years old, but he has become a bona fide superstar since being traded to the Houston Rockets 4 years ago.
He started out as the #3 pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009, and during 3 years there he was a major contributor off the bench, showing improvement every season, culminating in his being awarded the Sixth Man of the Year Award following the 2012 season after scoring 16.8 points per game while helping Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook reach the NBA Finals.
He and the Thunder were unable to come to terms on a new contract after that season, so he was traded to the Houston Rockets just days before the opening of the next season, and he was immediately the star of the team, scoring 25.9 points per game in his first season in the limelight. He has continued to show improvement over his time in Houston, and should have won the 2015 MVP, which was instead awarded to Stephen Curry. Here are the numbers for the two stars that season:
Harden - 27.4 pts, 5.7 reb, 7.0 ast, 1.9 stl, .440 FG%, .375 3P%, .868 FT%
Curry - 23.8 pts, 4.3 reb, 7.7 ast, 2.0 stl, .487 FG%, .443 3P%, .914 FT%
Both players had a valid argument to be named MVP, with Curry posting better shooting percentages and Harden putting up more points and grabbing more boards, but the award went to the Curry and his first-place Warriors. Curry beat out Harden again in the playoffs, knocking out the Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, though Harden did a great job getting the Rockets out of a 3-1 hole in the second round against the Clippers.
Last season Harden had even more impressive numbers, though the Rockets struggled to make the playoffs. He ended the season with the most total points for the second season in a row, as well as minutes played, and free throws made and attempted. He ended the season with averages of 29.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists, becoming only the 4 player ever to reach 29-6-7, joining Michael Jordan (once), Oscar Robertson (7 times), and LeBron James (twice), which is pretty good company.
How much higher can he rise? A lot will depend on whether he can use his all-around skills to make his teammates better and start making deep runs in the playoffs consistently, but with four straight great seasons of over 25 points per game and a couple years firmly in the MVP conversation, there is no doubt that he is one of the best players of all time.
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