Houston Rockets: 2018-19 player grades for James Harden

Final Grade

Although James Harden might not care to commemorate his magnum opus canvas after falling short of reaching his goal of winning a championship, the reigning MVP constructed a magnificent body of work that might have been regarded as the greatest individual season ever if not for the expectations that came with it prior to its inception.

In a season where Harden sought to make changes to his diet and add in more weight lifting and cardio into his individual workout routine before and after games, he refused to let his team wallow in early adversity, helping them go the verge of the draft lottery to becoming instant title contenders for the second straight year.

All the while, he assisted his team in the avoidance of a period that could have resembled that of season’s past, as Harden did not just do something that only three other Hall-of-Fame players before him had ever done. He set records on the way to cementing his name right alongside them.

In a non-stop hardwood galaxy where players expend bundles of energy to stand toe-to-toe among peers — and coaches — who devote countless hours devoting game plans dedicated to impeding one’s progress, Harden found a way to average over 35 points per game on less shots, free throws and minutes per game than the likes of names such as Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan.

Doing so in a way that was totally different than his predecessors, Harden became the first player ever to score over 2,800 points with 500 assists and rebounds in a single season during an era in which the league was deemed to be prepared to deal with forces of his sheer magnitude.

Without being a lab rat-like athlete who possessed an imposing physicality among his arch rivals, he instead traded for the ability to play in the air to launch a bevy of stepbacks. In addition to ushering a change in the game as we know it, he dropped 30 points or more against all other 29 teams across the league.

Harden — who won this year’s scoring crown by the largest margin since Chamberlain in 1963 — averaged the most points in the conference semifinals with 34.8 points per game. He averaged a total of 31.6 points per game throughout the postseason in spite of having the likes of the Utah Jazz among countless teams erecting several defenses to try and stop him all season long.

He finished among the top three or better in deflections per game, total steals and blocks among players 6’7″ or smaller and became the only player since His Airness to average at least 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals in a single year of work.

Harden’s year might have had a rough ending and may, unfortunately, go down as the greatest non-MVP season that the league has ever witnessed. However, where would the Rockets have ever been without No. 13 this year?

Grade: A