There is no denying that James Harden is a super scorer. He might not have the most important ware in his resume yet, but his prime years are up there with the greatest to play the game.
He is a player who dominates possessions after possessions, and for that, he reached records that, as of this writing, only he owns.
Look at the NBA records Harden holds as he tries to recover his form for his new team.
1. Only player with three scoring titles and two assist titles.
If one scores a lot, chances are the ball does not get passed around.
That is not the case for James Harden, as he holds the record for most scoring titles backed with multiple assist titles. His three-time teammate Russell Westbrook has two scoring titles and three assist titles.
He was the league's best scorer thrice from 2018 to 2020 while still with the Houston Rockets.
Read more: Should the Warriors Trade Klay Thompson After Another Subpar Showing?
2. Scored 30 points against all 29 teams in one season.
To score at least 30 points in at least 32 games is already a feat hard to duplicate. Harden did it, and only Wilt Chamberlain has more.
How about you do it against all 29 opponents in a single season? That's not what Wilt can brag as only the one-time MVP achieved that.
Harden achieved the feat in the 2018-19 season in a March 18 game against the Atlanta Hawks. The regular season was not even finished yet.
He finished the game with 31 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists.
🚀 @JHarden13 becomes the first player in @NBAhistory to score 30+ points against all 29 opponents in the same season! #Rockets pic.twitter.com/czZFuYGULH
— NBA (@NBA) March 20, 2019
3. Only player to get a 40-point triple-double in less than 30 minutes.
Scoring is a work. An ordinary player will probably have to play the whole game to achieve remarkable points.
Harden did that night-to-night while also filling up the stat sheets.
The win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 11, 2019, stood alone in the history book as he recorded 40 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. Four seasons on and Harden's 40-point triple-double under 30 minutes remains untouched.
4. Only player with record at least 50 points, 15 rebounds, 15 assists in a game.
A total of 10 is any NBA stat save for scoring is difficult to achieve and is worth the attention. Harden can provide the scoring, but he can separate himself from even the league's tallest man or the best quarterback in terms of rebounds and assists.
On January 2, 2017, in the win against the New York Knicks, he earned Wilt Chamberlain comparisons after becoming the only player in league history with at least 50 points, 15 assists, and 15 rebounds. Specifically, he recorded 53-17-16.
5. Only one with 2,000 points, 900 assists, and 600 rebounds in a season.
This last item on the list is another testament that Harden is more than just a scorer, as many suggest. He became the league's only player to collect 2000 points, 900 assists, and 600 rebounds in a season during his record-breaking 2016-2017 season.
Those were not empty stats either, as he helped the Rockets finish third in the Western Conference standings behind super teams Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.
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