Cross-era · careers 46 years apart
Dolph Schayes vs James Harden
Dolph Schayes (1949-1963) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 46 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 18.5); adjusted for era they scored at 1.81× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 48.8%). Dolph Schayes holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship and the #38 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.
Career averages
| Dolph Schayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 18.5 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 11.3 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 3.1 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 38.0% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 84.9% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 48.8% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 996 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dolph Schayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1.81× |
Points vs era avg |
2.39× |
| 1.91× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.35× |
| 1.41× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.21× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dolph Schayes's era.
| Dolph Schayes | 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
| Dolph Schayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 19.4 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 10.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 2.6 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 39.3% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 81.9% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 97 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Dolph Schayes | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
0 |
| 11 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 5 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #38 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |