30 NBA players that got better after leaving their first team

30 NBA players who got better after leaving their first team: 1. James Harden

There is no more clear case of a player leaving his first team where he was good and turning into great than James Harden. With the Oklahoma City Thunder, the young core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka appeared poised to take over the league. In his third season, the Thunder made the NBA Finals with their four best players 24 or under. Harden was a super sixth man, winning the annual award for the best bench player in the league that season.

After struggling in the Finals, the Thunder decided they had to choose between Harden and Ibaka before the team got too expensive. They chose Ibaka and traded Harden to the Houston Rockets just before the start of the season for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick. Harden was immediately signed to a max contract and one of the most impressive offensive runs began.

Harden’s tenure with his new team didn’t lead to a Finals appearance but they won the most games of any team in the league over that time frame. Harden transformed from sixth man to MVP, winning the award once and finishing second another three times. He led the league in assists in 2016-2017 (11.2 per game) and scoring three consecutive seasons (30.4, 36.1 and 34.3 points per game respectively). Over nine seasons in Houston, James Harden averaged 29.6 points, 7.7 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

He made eight All-Star games (nine if you include the one he made this season after being traded to the Brooklyn Nets), six All-NBA First Teams, and an All-NBA Third Team. The fact that he has pushed his way back into the MVP conversation with the Nets is telling. If he wins his first championship, all of the trials and tribulations will be worthwhile. Harden, as Charles Barkley has famously stated, is one of the greatest offensive players of all-time.