James Harden and Lillard have both been regular in trading news this year. James Harden started the season with the Brooklyn Nets, helping the Nets build a team with a big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, and the Nets are considered one of the main contenders for the NBA championship. James Harden, instead, insisted on playing only 44 games with the Nets before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. After rejecting his player option, James Harden would rather take less money and complete a contract extension with the 76ers in order for the team to be better recruited.
As for Lillard, he was once seen by the 76ers as a trade reinforcement target. The combination of Lillard and Embiid could have been the deadliest duo. With Portland's decline last season, Lillard at one point also seemed to want the team to be traded off. Soon, however, Lillard signed a two-year contract with the team off-season, making him an unlikely player to be traded. If you're a 76ers fan, do you think James Harden and Lillard are the better choices for the 76ers? Therefore, the US media will compare the careers of James Harden and Lillard to golden state, let's see who is more suitable for the 76ers.
Score - James Harden
Lillard once averaged 30.0 points per game, but James Harden averaged at least 30 points per game for three consecutive seasons. In addition, James Harden also averaged 29.0 points and 29.1 points per game, averaging 30.4 points, 36.1 points and 34.3 points per game, and also led the league in the scoring list. He averaged 36.1 points per game and the best regular season score since Wilt Chamberlain's time. From 2015-16 to 2020-21, Lillard never averaged less than 25.8 points per game. But apparently, James Harden is better.
Shooting percentage - James Harden
One might think lillard's shooting percentage is better, but statistically, James Harden is better. James Harden,000, for example, shot 44.2 percent from his career, up from Lillard's 43.7 percent. James Harden also shot well from within two-point range, shooting 51.1 percent from the field, compared to Lillard's 48.8 percent shooting. Lillard's three-point shooting percentage is indeed higher, at 37.3 percent, but not much better than James Harden's 36.2 percent. Lillard may be the better outside shooter, but James Harden is the better all-around shooter.
Passing - James Harden
Lillard is trying to surpass Terry Porter's all-time assist record with the Trail Blazers, but that doesn't mean he's a better passer than James Harden. Speaking of Lillard's assists, he currently averages 6.6 assists per game in his career. The past three seasons have been the best assists per game of his career, averaging 8.0 assists, 7.5 assists and 7.3 assists per game, but Lillard has never averaged double-digit assists per game.
As for James Harden, he has averaged double-digit assist stats per game in three seasons. If he plays the whole season in 2020-21, maybe he can lead the league in assists. He has averaged 10.3 assists and 10.8 assists per game in the last two seasons. On top of that, he led the league with an average of 11.2 assists per game in the 2016-17 season.
Defensive ability - James Harden
Neither player is a good defender, and Lillard has a low steal rate, averaging 1.3 percent per game, while his overall rebounding rate is 6.3 percent. James Harden is a little better, with a 2.2 percent steal rate and a 9.0 percent rebounding rate. Overall, James Harden has excellent stats to prove that he is a better defensive player than Lillard.
Athleticism - Lillard
Lillard's athleticism was one of the reasons he became a superstar, and apparently many scouts underestimated him in the first place. James Harden has excellent physical fitness, he is the third pick, and after entering the NBA, he relies more on technology to play. In terms of athleticism, it seems that Lillard is much worse than James Harden. But Lillard proved himself healthy and could do better than other players.
Key Capability - Lillard
Lillard was once the key king of the league. In the 2020-21 season, he shot 60 percent from the field and over 50 percent from three-point range in key moments. This includes 100% of free throws on the free throw line. Without Lillard, the Blazers might not be in the 2020 playoffs. Lillard's absence last season proved the team's inability to win more games in the absence of Lillard, who will be one of the greatest players in the history of the team.
Leadership - Lillard
James Harden left the Thunder just to be a starter, and he wanted a different role, but he didn't get it at the time. He then left the Thunder to become the leader of the Houston Rockets. James Harden led the Rockets back into one of the strongest contender teams in the West. That includes two western conference finals, both of which unfortunately lost to the Warriors. Lillard led the Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Finals in 2019, and it can only be said that he did not get as much help as James Harden.
Basketball IQ - James Harden
James Harden's basketball IQ is staggeringly high, james Harden was once the Rockets' scorer, but people forget that he is also the team's main organizational guard. In 2018 and 2019, James Harden led the league in two years of usage, with nearly two-fifths of the team's offense linked to him. James Harden has a career assist rate of 33.4 percent and Lillard has an assist rate of 30.6 percent. And James Harden is good at creating fouls and helping the team solve offensive problems.
Influence - James Harden
We just talked about Harden's percentage of use. For two years, James Harden has led the running league with 36.1 percent usage and 40.5 percent offense. Obviously James Harden is the key to the Rockets' victory or defeat, but Lillard is different, and when Lillard is not there, the team still has McCollum.
One-on-one showdown - James Harden
James Harden shot 44.3 percent from his career, while Lillard shot 43.7 percent. In terms of physical fitness and personal singles offensive skills, as well as defense, james Harden is obviously better.
Career showdown - James Harden
James Harden had already reached the Finals while the Thunder were there, while Lillard didn't. James Harden led the Rockets to the best record in rocket history, becoming the superstar in team history second only to Olajuwon. Lillard will be one of the greatest players in Blazers history in the future, but his greatness seems to be difficult for him to rank in the top three in team history. Lillard's career is still difficult to compare with James Harden, who has a regular season MVP.