gold star for USAHOF

30. James Harden

30. James Harden
It seems like a lifetime ago doesn’t it?

James Harden was the third overall pick in the 2009 Draft and the first ever pick for the Oklahoma City Thunder.  In his third year, Harden would a beast off of the bench and essentially formed a young “big three” with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.  This unit was so good that they took OKC to the NBA Finals and while they lost the 2012 Finals there was reason to believe that this triumvirate would take them to the Finals again and win. 

As we all know, Harden was traded to Houston and would become a multi time All Star and elite scorer.  Still, the contributions he made to the Thunder are more than enough to earn the “beard” a spot here.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Shooting Guard
  • Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round, 3rd Overall 6/25/09.
  • Departed: Traded to the Houston Rockets with Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, a 2013 1st Round Pick (which would be Steven Adams) a 2013 2nd Round Pick (which would be Alex Abrines) and a 2014 1st Round Pick (which would be Mitch McGary) 10/27/12.
  • Games Played: 220
  • Per Game Averages: 26.7 MP
    .529 eFG%
    .835 FT%
    12.7 PTS
    3.4 RB
    2.5 AST
    1.1 STL
    0.3 BLK

    43 Playoff Games
    29.9 MP
    .524 eFG%
    .844 FT%
    13.8 PTS
    4.8 RB
    3.3 AST
    1.3 STL
    0.5 BLK
  • Advanced Stats: 17.2 PER
    .605 TS%
    6.9 VORP
    21.0 WS

    19.7 PER
    .614 TS%
    2.1 VORP
    5.0 WS
  • Major Accolades and Awards: NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2011-12)
    Second Team All-Rookie (2009-10)

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