NBA: 10 players sure to regress in 2017-18

2. James Harden

On a team level, James Harden may be as dangerous as he’s ever been in 2017-18. With the arrival of Chris Paul to make life easier and perhaps conserve some of his energy for the defensive end, the Beard could lead the Houston Rockets back to the conference finals and perhaps even challenge the Warriors’ reign in the West.

However, from an individual perspective, there’s no question the addition of another ball-dominant point guard will take away from Harden’s numbers, even with Mike D’Antoni planning on staggering their minutes so one is always on the floor to spearhead the offense.

Last year, Harden submitted one of the finest non-MVP seasons in NBA history, averaging 29.1 points, a league-leading 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. His defense and shooting might be more efficient thanks to Paul’s impact, but it’s fairly predictable Harden’s numbers will take a bit of a hit.