Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

Isiah Thomas vs James Harden

Isiah Thomas 1981-1993 · Guard James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 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 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 1.85× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 51.6%). Isiah Thomas holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #36 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.

Career averages

Isiah ThomasStatJames Harden
19.2 Points / game 24.0
3.6 Rebounds / game 5.6
9.3 Assists / game 7.3
1.9 Steals / game 1.5
0.3 Blocks / game 0.6
45.2% Field goal % 43.8%
29.0% 3-point % 36.5%
75.9% Free throw % 86.0%
51.6% True shooting % 64.1%
979 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Isiah ThomasStatJames Harden
1.85× Points vs era avg 2.39×
0.86× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
3.80× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.

Isiah ThomasStatJames Harden
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 109.4
— Net rating 5.5
— Usage % 28.6%
— Assist % 34.7%
— Rebound % 7.9%

Playoff averages

Isiah ThomasStatJames Harden
20.4 Points / game 22.5
4.7 Rebounds / game 5.5
8.9 Assists / game 6.5
2.1 Steals / game 1.6
0.3 Blocks / game 0.6
43.8% Field goal % 43.0%
32.3% 3-point % 34.7%
77.0% Free throw % 86.5%
111 Playoff games 173

Accolades

Isiah ThomasStatJames Harden
0 MVP awards 1
1 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 0
11 All-Star selections 10
3 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#36 All-time GOAT rank #41

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