2016-17 NBA Awards Season: Ranking The Top 4 MVP Candidates
Shooting Efficiency
The basic shooting percentages don’t paint the full picture. Harden shot 44 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 84.7 percent from the foul line. Despite being criticized as an inefficient gunner, Westbrook wasn’t far behind, shooting 42.5 percent from the floor, 34.3 percent from deep and 84.5 percent from the line. Again, these guys are neck-and-neck.
But the Beard gets the slight edge when you consider the range of those shots, particularly from three-point range. While Russ was taking 7.2 threes per game, Harden averaged 9.3 per game.
That adds up to be quite a major difference over the course of 81 games, though it’s worth noting Westbrook’s much higher usage rate helps close the gap a bit when Adjusted True Shooting Percentage comes into play:
Harden definitely scores more efficiently than Westbrook. But perhaps the advantage in that one area isn't as large as it initially appears
— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) April 6, 2017
Harden’s .613 True Shooting Percentage ranked him 16th in the NBA, while Westbrook’s mark of .554 fell well short of the top-20. The Beard also held a decisive advantage in Effective Field Goal Percentage (52.5) compared to Russ (47.6).
Westbrook’s insane usage numbers need to be taken into account, but Harden’s slightly superior shooting numbers still have the upper hand.