NBA: The 30 best trios in league history
Best trios in NBA history: 29. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden
- Durant: 28.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg
- Westbrook: 20.5 ppg, 7.2 apg
- Harden: 12.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.5 apg
- Finals record: 0-1
- Time together: 2010-2012
It was a short-lived partnership but one that almost yielded impossibly great results. From 2010-2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder had one of the best young trios in NBA history. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden were all young and hadn’t quite reached their prime. Both Westbrook and Durant were 21 and Harden was 20 by the time they all played together.
We’ve seen plenty of occasions where young great players want all of the shine to themselves. These three, on the other hand, had no problem sharing the spotlight. Durant was the clear alpha male. He led them in shot attempts with 19.9 and points per game with 28.6. Westbrook was the Swiss army knife. Not only did he pour in over 20 points a game but he also led the Thunder in assists during that stretch with 7.2 a night.
Harden was the least ballyhooed of the bunch but he was terrific nonetheless. He was the best on-ball defender of the three and on some nights, the most consistent. With the three at the helm, the Thunder were perennial Western Conference powerhouses. They made the playoffs in all three seasons together and made a trip to the NBA Finals in 2012. Ultimately though, they were taken down by the Miami Heat.
Together, their offensive rating as a team never dipped below 12th league-wide. But just because they could put the ball in the bucket, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t or didn’t defend. During that stretch, their defensive ratings were consistently in the top 10 and never fell below 15th.
Considering that all three players would eventually win league MVP awards, just imagine how high they could have ranked had they stayed together longer.