Contemporaries · overlapped 10 seasons
Dirk Nowitzki vs James Harden
Dirk Nowitzki and James Harden were contemporaries, their careers overlapping for 10 seasons. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 20.7); James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 57.7%); James Harden created more for others (7.3 assists per game to 2.4). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.
Career averages
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 20.7 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 7.5 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 2.4 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 46.6% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 37.9% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 87.4% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 57.7% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 1,522 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Advanced metrics
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 105.9 |
Offensive rating |
115.0 |
| 105.4 |
Defensive rating |
109.4 |
| 0.6 |
Net rating |
5.5 |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
28.6% |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
34.7% |
| 0.1% |
Rebound % |
7.9% |
Playoff averages
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 25.3 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 10.0 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 2.5 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 1.0 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 0.9 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 46.1% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 36.2% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 89.2% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 145 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Dirk Nowitzki | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
0 |
| 14 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 4 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #25 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |