Is James Harden Best Offensive Player Ever?

James Hardern won MVP for 17-18 season, and he was also MVP candidate for 18-19 season.  He ended up 2nd place for MVP ladder and voting, but he made a bigger impression than his MVP season.  He had 32 consecutive games with 30+ points in row.  This is 2nd longest 30+ points streak , and 1st longest 30+ points streak was made by Wilt Chamberlain who holds many records with points.  And today(11/18/2018) he had 7 games with 40+ points out of 13 games including 59pts on 10/30.  Now tons of basketball fans say “James Harden is the best offensive player ever” or “James Harden is best scorer ever.”  Let’s compare him with other scorers.

Here is the list of contestants

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt has so many NBA records with points and rebounds.  He scored 100 points against Knicks in 1962, and same season he averaged 50.4 points per game.  He usually marked higher than 50% field gold percentage since most of his shots are close shots or dunks.  But he was not good at shooting from far and free throw line.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem has an ultimate weapon which is called “sky hook.”  He is leading the points with all time career score.  This record seems unbreakable except for LeBron James Stay healthy next 3 years.  Because many of his shots do not go up after releasing the ball, if defense touches the ball, it will be goal tending.  So only thing they could do was to pray.

Michael Jordan

There is no need of explanation about this man.  But let me tell you how great this guy is.  He hold highest career average points and also with playoff.  Actually, he was not really good at 3p, but he was really good at mid-range and layups/dunks.  His turn around shoot and double clutch should be called art since those look so smooth and artistic.  Although he was not good at 3p, he was able to hit it when game was close to the and or when it ends.  He was not only good at scoring but also good at clutch time.  He was the most reliable player at 4th quarter.

Allen Iverson

This ankle breaker is the shortest scoring leader in NBA history.  When you look at his field goal percentage, it seems like he is not efficient player, but with 6ft height (most likely shorter than that} it was not as easy as other players scoring.  But one reason he was able to get lots of buckets is because of his handling and quickness.  He is one of the quickest player in history, and he also had one of the best handling skill.  Because of those skills he was able to break the ankles and make open space.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe was the “Next Jordan” in the league.  He was not only a great player like Jordan, he played like Jordan.  He had confidence that many of other players do not have.  It is called “mamba mentality”, and he was also good at clutch time like Jordan.  His finishing move was turn around jumper like Jordan.  It sounds like Kobe is just “Little Jordan,” but actually, when you think about most points in 1 game, Kobe scored more than Jordan.  And he was not pure shooter like Curry or Ray Allen, he was able to sink a few 3p every game.

Kevin Durant

KD is unique player in this list.  Usually scoring title is given to the scorer who holds ball for long minutes and shots a lot.  But KD is a great scorer and at the same time, he is a  great shooter.  He career average score is 27 points.  It is not as high as Jordan or Wilt, but biggest difference is that he always had other great scorers.  In OKC, he was with Westbrook and Harden, in GS, he was with Curry and Klay.  He was able to score a lot even if there are great scorers in his team unlike other players on this list.

James Harden

Harden gave up on being human.  Harden is kind of like Carmelo Anthony who was also one of the best scorers.  Harden needs to keep ball for long minutes to decide going inside or step back.  He is really good at step back jumper which is unstoppable today.  And compare to Carmelo, Harden can easily make space because Harden can pass.  Melo is a ball hugger like Kobe.  Since defense needs mind about passing, it is opponents cannot have double team on him.  For now, except for Bucks, no team can stop him.

In the end, it is very hard to say who has best offence.  If I can break down into several categories, it is not so hard.  But all of them made history and their era.  Harden is making records and his era right now.

Please comment your opinions about who is the best offensive player!!