The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
By Cal Durrett
Greatest NBA Player #22: James Harden-158.00
Former MVP James Harden is an obvious entry on this list, though given his polarization, he probably won’t appear in many fans’ top 20. During his heyday in Houston, Harden was a scoring machine, putting up offensive numbers the NBA had not seen since Jordan. He has bounced around since leaving Houston, going to the Brooklyn Nets, then demanding a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, and now demanding another trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Burning three large fan bases isn’t likely to make… well, fans. Then there are his many playoff failures, but fortunately for him, this is solely based on regular season play. Harden’s ability to create threes for himself and others, attack the basket, and also draw free throws made him a truly elite offensive weapon. In fact, he managed to score a staggering 2,100+ points in six consecutive seasons on an amazing .613 true shooting percentage.
That allowed him to rocket up the leaderboard in both scoring and win shares. Moreover, depending on how he ages, there is a decent chance that he could reach 30,000 points and finish inside the top-15 in total win shares. That would be an incredible accomplishment, though he might not be viewed nearly as highly by fans when it’s all said and done.