Houston Rockets: 5 goals for James Harden in 2017-18

2. Lead the league in scoring

Although Harden managed to lead the league in assists last season, he fell short in his quest to win the scoring title. He finished in second place to his former teammate Russell Westbrook, who also edged Harden for the MVP award.

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For three straight seasons, Harden has always found a way to take his game to another notch, as the former Sixth Man has scored over 25 points per game each year over that time span.

Yet despite putting up career-high numbers, Harden has finished as the runner-up every single year. In 2015, Westbrook would seize his place atop the leaderboard on the final day of the season — scoring 37 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves to win it. This was followed by Stephen Curry, whose 30.1 points per game were enough to help him capture his first scoring title in 2016.

Should Harden win the league’s scoring title next season, it would be the first one in his career, and officially allow him to cement his place as the best in the game. He is arguably one of the game’s top players to never win the league’s scoring crown, and will more than likely be in the running for it yet once again.

The fourth time just might be the charm.