Houston Rockets: 3 goals for James Harden in 2018-19

2. Join 50-40-90 club

In spite of falling short in helping the Rockets reach the NBA Finals a season ago, James Harden produced one of the most efficient offensive seasons in the history of basketball for the second straight year.

The six-time All-Star finished his ninth season with a remarkable 29.87 Player Efficiency Rating, the highest among all qualified players, and led the league in nearly every offensive category on the way to guiding Clutch City to the best record in basketball.

Now, the time has come for Harden to officially try and become a member of the 50-40-90 club, as earning a spot on the hallowed altar of efficiency would place him among some of the game’s greatest shooters of all time.

Although Harden’s career shooting splits of .443/.364/.854 currently leave some space to cover, the 6’5” combo guard possesses all the talent to accomplish the following feat, as his aptitude to score in a multitude of ways and get to the free throw line could give him a realistic shot of adding his name to the list sooner rather than later.

Chris Paul will look to find his backcourt mate more times than not, while Mike D’Antoni will seek to get the ball in his star’s hands with the game on the line.

Should the reigning MVP find a way to take advantage of the open looks that he draws in catch-and-shoot situations, and shoot at a high clip, then there is a strong possibility that No. 13 can become the eighth player in league history to eclipse the mark next season.