Cross-era · careers 27 years apart
Dave Cowens vs James Harden
Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 27 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 49.5%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.
Career averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 17.6 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 13.6 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 3.8 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 45.9% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 0.7% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 78.5% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 49.5% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 766 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dave Cowens | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1.69× |
Points vs era avg |
2.39× |
| 2.82× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.35× |
| 1.63× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.21× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.
| Dave Cowens | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
115.0 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
109.4 |
| — |
Net rating |
5.5 |
| — |
Usage % |
28.6% |
| — |
Assist % |
34.7% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.9% |
Playoff averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 18.9 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 14.4 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 3.7 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 45.3% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 76.4% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 89 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Dave Cowens | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 2 |
Championships |
0 |
| 6 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #51 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |