Cross-era · careers 40 years apart
James Harden vs Bob Cousy
James Harden (2009-2025) and Bob Cousy (1950-1969) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 40 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 18.4); adjusted for era they scored at 2.39× and 1.80× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 44.6%). Bob Cousy holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 6 championships and the #13 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.
Career averages
| James Harden | Stat | Bob Cousy |
|---|
| 24.0 |
Points / game |
18.4 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
5.2 |
| 7.3 |
Assists / game |
7.5 |
| 1.5 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 43.8% |
Field goal % |
37.5% |
| 36.5% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 86.0% |
Free throw % |
80.0% |
| 64.1% |
True shooting % |
44.6% |
| 1,221 |
Games played |
924 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| James Harden | Stat | Bob Cousy |
|---|
| 2.39× |
Points vs era avg |
1.80× |
| 1.35× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
0.90× |
| 3.21× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.34× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Cousy's era.
| James Harden | Stat | Bob Cousy |
|---|
| 115.0 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 109.4 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 5.5 |
Net rating |
— |
| 28.6% |
Usage % |
— |
| 34.7% |
Assist % |
— |
| 7.9% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| James Harden | Stat | Bob Cousy |
|---|
| 22.5 |
Points / game |
18.5 |
| 5.5 |
Rebounds / game |
5.0 |
| 6.5 |
Assists / game |
8.6 |
| 1.6 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 43.0% |
Field goal % |
34.3% |
| 34.7% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 86.5% |
Free throw % |
79.5% |
| 173 |
Playoff games |
109 |
Accolades
| James Harden | Stat | Bob Cousy |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 0 |
Championships |
6 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
13 |
| 6 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #41 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#13 |