James Harden has had numerous superstar teammates during every stop of his NBA career. Why has it never worked out?
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the long-awaited conclusion to the drama between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers came to an end. Harden was shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for four players and draft picks, including Nic Batum and Robert Covington. This marks the fifth team that Harden will be a part of in his 14-year career and his fourth team over the last four seasons.
On each stop he has made in his career, Harden has been fortunate enough to play with some of the biggest superstars in the NBA, including former MVP winners, current MVP winners, and NBA champions during other points of their careers. Today, we will take a trip down memory lane and explore all of the superstar teammates James Harden was fortunate enough to play with, their best results as teammates, and what may have gone wrong along the way.
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These are all of James Harden’s superstar teammates throughout his career.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2010-2012)
Superstar Teammates: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant
Best Result: 2012 NBA Finals (L)
We start our journey where James Harden started with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2009-10 season. Over the first two seasons with the Thunder, it was already the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook show while he played his role and patiently awaited his chance to prove himself.
In 2011-12, that chance arose when the Thunder made Harden their Sixth Man off the bench. He would go on to average 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game on 49.1% shooting as the Thunder went on to win 47 games in a 66-game season. Harden would be named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year as well, breaking out for the whole world to see.
With Harden coming off the bench, the Thunder advanced to the NBA Finals to play LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the Miami Heat. Durant led the way with 28.5 points per game in the playoffs after taking home the NBA’s scoring title in the regular season. Westbrook averaged 23.1 points and 5.9 assists per game to aid in their success while Harden pitched in 16.3 points per game off the bench. Unfortunately, this was not enough as the Heat went on to defeat the Thunder in five games led by James and his Finals MVP performance.
Houston Rockets (2013-2021)
Superstars Teammates: Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard
Best Result: 2015 Western Conference Finals (L), 2018 Western Conference Finals (L)
After being dealt from the Thunder to the Rockets in the 2012 offseason, the key to James Harden’s success was unlocked. Over the next seven-plus seasons with Houston, Harden would be named an All-Star every year and take home three scoring titles, an assists title, and the 2018 MVP award.
During this stretch of his career, Harden was fortunate enough to play with former three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard from 2014 through 2016. Howard was an All-Star in his first season with the Rockets but their best year together would come the following season in 2015. After winning 56 games in the regular season, the duo would lead Houston to the Western Conference Finals. Even with Harden’s 28.4 points per game and Howard’s 14.4 points and 14.4 rebounds per game, they would fall to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Over the next five seasons, Harden would have the chance to play with two of the greatest point guards in NBA history. Chris Paul would join the Rockets for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In their first season together, the duo led the Rockets to 65 wins and made yet another run to the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors. This series would go seven games but an injury to Paul and a 12-29 shooting night from Harden in Game 7 would cost them their chance at an NBA championship.
In 2020, the Rockets would trade Chris Paul to the Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook, a former MVP and teammate of Harden’s from the Thunder nine seasons prior. In their one season together, Harden averaged 34.3 points per game and Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game as they won 44 games out of 70. In the NBA playoffs after the restart thanks to COVID-19, the Rockets would fall to the Lakers in the second round in five games.
Brooklyn Nets (2021-2022)
Superstar Teammates: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving
Best Result: 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals (L)
After a bitter divorce from the Houston Rockets, James Harden would be traded to the Brooklyn Nets to join forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets’ new Big 3 were nearly crowned champions when the news broke. By the end of their tenure together, they would be the most disappointing “superteam” in NBA history.
Due to injuries, suspensions, or other personal reasons, this trio of superstars would only play 16 games together over the next two seasons, going 13-3 in those games. Their best chance at a championship would have been the first season Harden spent in Brooklyn as they were primed to win an NBA championship behind their star threesome.
Unfortunately, injuries to both Harden and Irving left Durant to his own devices. He was able to get the Nets as far as Game 7 of the second round before they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks who went on to win the NBA championship. There is no doubt that Brooklyn could have been the ones hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy if the three could have stayed healthy.
Superstar Teammates: Joel Embiid
Best Result: 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals (L)
Partway into the 2021-22 season, the relationship between Harden and the Brooklyn Nets deteriorated to the point that they were forced to trade him, which they did to the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden would play in just 21 games for the 76ers in 2021-22 with a loss to the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
In 2022-23, James Harden and Joel Embiid would stake their claim as one of the best duos in the NBA. Harden averaged 21.0 points and led the NBA with 10.7 assists per game. Joel Embiid would be named MVP of the league with his second straight scoring title with 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.
The duo led the 76ers into the playoffs where they advanced to the second round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics. After building a 3-2 series lead, Harden and Embiid would completely collapse and watch as the Celtics ripped victory from the jaws of defeat. It would be the final time we saw James Harden in a 76ers uniform.
Los Angeles Clippers (2023-)
Superstar Teammates: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard
Best Result: N/A
After a summer of even more drama involving James Harden and another NBA franchise, James Harden was given his way once again and dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers early Tuesday morning. The move reunites Harden with Russell Westbrook for the third time as well as brings him into a rotation with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for the first time.
With this move, the Los Angeles Clippers have to be considered one of the favorites in the Western Conference. There is too much talent in their starting rotation for them to fail miserably. However, Harden’s track record is clearly not great when it comes to playing alongside superstar talent and what they accomplish in the NBA playoffs as a unit.
Hopefully, the experience of others around him in Los Angeles will rub off and he will buy into the role they set forward for him so they can maximize their success. Otherwise, we may find ourselves talking about yet another massive failure in his career, which could end up being his last stop in the NBA.
