James Harden
Teams
Oklahoma City Thunder - 2009-12
Houston Rockets - 2012-21
Brooklyn Nets - 2021-present
Playoffs
Appearances - 12 (2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021)
Conference Finals - 4 (2011,2012,2015,2018)
NBA Finals - 1 (2012)
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
MVP - 1 (2018,2019)
Sixth Man of the Year - 1 (2012)
All-NBA First Team - 6 (2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020)
All-NBA Second Team - 0 (2013,2014,2021)
All-NBA Third Team - 1 (2013)
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Three-Pointers Made - #5
Points Per Game - #10
Total Points - #38
Total Assists - #42
Assists Per Game - #42
Free Throw Percentage - #49
Total Steals - #67
Steals Per Game - #75
League Leads
Points Per Game (#1-2018,2019,2020, #2-2015,2016,2017, #5-2013,2014)
Total Points (#1-2015,2016,2019,2020, #2-2017,2018, #4-2013)
Three-Pointers Made (#1-2018,2019,2020, #3-2016,2017, #4-2015)
Total Assists (#1-2017, #4-2018, #5-2019)
Total Steals (#1-2020, #2-2019, #3-2015)
Assists Per Game (#1-2017, #3-2018)
Steals Per Game (#2-2019, #5-2020)
After being named the Pac 10 Player of the Year as a sophomore with averages of 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, James Harden entered the NBA Draft, where he was taken with the #3 overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Harden played with the Thunder for 3 seasons, all in a reserve role, but that role increased each season, and in 2012 he was named the Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He was also a big part of the Thunder's push to the NBA Finals, though he averaged only 12.4 points in the Finals once they got there, losing in 5 games to the Miami Heat.
Oklahoma City offered him an extension after that season, but Harden wanted to be a starter, so he was traded to the Houston Rockets just days before the next season began. He immediately showed that he belonged, averaging 25.9 points in his first season as a starter and being named to the All-NBA Third Team.
After posting nearly identical numbers the next year, he was named to the All-NBA First Team, but the next big step happened the next year. That season he averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game and led the Rockets to the Conference Finals, the first time getting that far as a star, but the team fell to the Warriors in 5 games, and Harden had a terrible final game, with 14 points and 13 turnovers.
Two years later, he had his best individual season after being moved to point guard for the first time in his career, setting career highs with 8.1 rebounds and 11.2 assists, which also led the league, along with 29.1 points per game. The Rockets reached the second round, but Harden again struggled in the decisive game, scoring only 10 points before fouling out.
Harden moved back to shooting guard the next year, and after three seasons finishing as the runner-up in the scoring race, Harden finally won his first scoring title, pouring in 30.4 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Houston finished with the league's best record, and Harden won the MVP, but they were again turned back in the Conference Finals by the Warriors, this time in 7 games, though Harden redeemed himself somewhat by scoring 32 in the final game.
The next year Harden was a scoring machine, averaging 36.1 per game, ending up winning the scoring title by 8.1 points, the largest margin in 56 years, but he lost the MVP to Giannis Antetokounmpo. For the 4th time in 5 seasons, the Warriors ended Houston's season, this time in the second round, once again keeping Harden from reaching the Finals as a star player.
Harden won his third consecutive scoring title in 2020, finishing the season with 34.3 per game, but Houston fell to the eventual champion Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, which led to coach Mike D'Antoni being fired, which led Harden to ask for a trade. He began last season in Houston, but was traded early in January to the Brooklyn Nets.
In Brooklyn Harden was able to reduce his scoring load, and he finished the season with only 24.6 per game, his lowest since leaving Oklahoma City, but he also averaged 7.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game, and was in the MVP race before he went down with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss over a month. He came back in the playoffs, but was ineffective in the team's second round loss to the Bucks.
Harden is one of the best scorers in the game today, but he also puts up numbers across the board. He has averaged at least 5 rebounds in 7 straight seasons, which is very solid for a guard, and has also averaged at least 7 assists in each of those seasons, including the one where he led the league. He also led the league in total steals in 2020, and in scoring and 3-pointers made in each of his last 3 seasons in Houston. He is still only 32 years old and not far removed from his best seasons, so there is a good chance he will eventually win a championship, and he should also continue to climb this list of the best players of all time.
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