OKC Thunder ability to match their own historical benchmark will define future
James Harden’s iron man run and dominance through his prime
Speaking of iron men few in the NBA can compare with James Harden. Factor in superstars and LeBron James is the immediate player that comes to mind. In fact, this may be the most impressive comparison for LeBron fans given Harden’s ability to stay healthy. Harden is entering his 12th campaign, James his 18th.
Both players have missed less than 10 games every year other than 2018-19 when James suffered the groin injury and with the Lakers out of the playoff picture shut him down. Still, with six additional seasons, James has almost 20,000 additional minutes (19,962) played in the season and a further 6,289 plus playoff minutes.
Few superstars play the majority of their careers healthy and productive. In this regard, LeBron James is untouched, particularly in the modern era. Harden would be a distant second.
I’m digressing so back to the actual draft class in question. The above point is compelling given the two individuals selected ahead of Harden – – Blake Griffin (Clippers) and Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzlies). An amusing side note is Thabeet played for the Thunder coming over in the same season Harden was traded to the Rockets.
In terms of Griffin and Harden, their careers are distinctly separated based on injuries. Griffin red-shirted his rookie year and through their careers, Harden has 211 additional regular-season games plus 33 playoff games or cumulatively 244 additional contests.
| Rk | Player | From | To | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blake Griffin | 2011 | 2020 | 622 | 34.8 | 16.3 | .498 | 2.0 | .333 | 14.3 | .521 | .518 | 6.9 | .694 | 8.8 | 4.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 21.7 |
| 2 | James Harden | 2010 | 2020 | 833 | 34.3 | 16.7 | .443 | 7.7 | .363 | 9.0 | .511 | .527 | 8.8 | .858 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 25.2 |
Provided by Stathead.com: View Stathead Tool Used
Generated 12/14/2020.
When healthy, Griffin is the type of player who does everything and almost begs the question of how much more valuable he would be coming into the league now given his position and capabilities. And yet, once again Presti nailed the draft pick.
We can debate all day whether the VP made a massive mistake trading Harden to the Rockets over what was considered a nominal amount. Then again, the current narrative that finds the bearded man demanding a trade highlights how difficult it would’ve been to keep the trio happy and together.