In a season where many of the game’s premier talents took their games to new levels, Houston Rockets star James Harden would find a way to construct one of the greatest individual campaigns in NBA history.
Despite playing in an era where teams hunt to access data, film and scouting reports that are designed to deeply analyze numerous players, Houston Rockets guard James Harden appears to have fully eviscerated them in the manner of a runaway fugitive.
The 29-year-old — who captured NBA MVP honors following his incredible 2017-18 campaign — returned to produce one of the best individual seasons in league history, averaging a career-high 36.1 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game on the way to earning All-NBA First Team honors for the third consecutive year.
In addition to setting a plethora of records along the way, Harden became the first player ever to score over 2,800 points with 500 assists and 500 rebounds in a single season.
"“I think he’s the best offensive player out there,” New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “And I can’t think of one, really, over the course of their career that’s been better from the standpoint of being able to put up the kind of numbers he’s done and do it efficiently.”"
Bearing all that in mind, here are the top 10 moments from the Beard’s historic campaign.