The 75 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

15.    James Harden-24.13

LA Clippers guard James Harden is still playing well in his 15th season, but he will always be remembered for his incredible run with the Houston Rockets. Over his eight years in Houston, Harden averaged nearly 30 points per game as well as 7.7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. 

During that time, he led the NBA in scoring for three straight seasons, crossed the 2000-point mark six straight years, had four top-3 MVP finishes and won MVP in 2017–18. That amazing production resulted in a 26.7 PER in Houston—MVP-level. 

Keeping that level up for nearly a decade is incredible and even outside of those seasons, he has still been over 20 four times. That largely has to do with his efficiency as a scorer. He has a career 61.1 true shooting percentage, which is more in line with a center than a high-volume guard. 

As a result, Harden is a top-15 player in PER. That is probably not where most would have him in their all-time rankings but he has a chance to become the seventh player to reach 30,000 points and a championship would also help his legacy.