Harden is the face of the league's scoring guards, and after Kobe and Wade, he is the most capable and controversial. Harden's career is legendary, Tanhua Xiu debuted, but he played as a substitute for 3 years in the Thunder, and was abandoned by the Thunder because of the price difference of 6 million. And he was also ashamed of his courage, and after joining the Rockets, he quickly grew into a superstar, with MVP, scoring champion, assist champion and best team everything. After joining the Rockets, he also set an 11-year record, but this year is finally going to be interrupted.
In the final year of the Thunder era, Harden was 22 years old, and he averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 49% from the field, which was very efficient, and he was also voted the league's best sixth man. In the first year of joining the Rockets, Harden became the boss, had unlimited firing rights, and showed his scoring ability to the fullest, he averaged 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, and his statistics rose across the board, and he directly became a member of the All-Star, and the Thunder also regretted it.
Avaging 25.9 points per game, it was the beginning of Harden's peak. In the seasons since, Harden has continued to improve every year. He averaged 25.4 points per game in '14, 27.4 points per game in '15, 29 points per game in '16 and 29.1 points per game in '17. After 18 years, Harden has completely transformed, and he has started a three-year reign in a row. He averaged 30.4 points per game in '18 and 36.1 points per game in '19, the highest score in the post-Jordan era. He also averaged 34.3 points per game in 20 years, and his performance was impeccable.
If it hadn't been for the Space Warriors, Harden might have won the championship. After the Rockets had no hope of winning the championship, Harden chose to leave, and leaving the Rockets was also the beginning of his downhill journey. Switching to the Nets, the stats slipped to an average of 24.6 points and 10.8 assists per game. After that, he joined the 76ers, and his statistics came to an average of 22 points and 10.3 assists per game. Last season, he averaged 21 points and 10.7 assists per game, and was crowned the league's assist leader, but he has missed the All-Star stage.
This year's Harden is 34 years old, and in the last four seasons, his average points per game have decreased year by year, and this season he has also dropped to an average of 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8 assists per game. As a result, his previous record of averaging 20 points per game in 11 consecutive seasons was interrupted. He plays the role of playmaker with the Clippers, and it will be difficult to return to 20 points per game. I have to say that a decline is inevitable for a first quarterback like Harden.
However, Harden's transition has been very successful, and he has seamlessly transitioned from point guard to point guard, and the number of assists speaks for itself. And he shot 46.7 percent from the field this season, the second-highest of his career, behind only the Sixth Man of the Year year. Now Harden is efficient in scoring, excellent in organization, and with teammates like Leonard and George, he really has a lot to offer. Despite the interruption of the 11-year record, the championship may be on the horizon.