Cross-era · careers 17 years apart
Kevin McHale vs James Harden
Kevin McHale (1980-1992) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 17 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 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 60.4%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Kevin McHale's #45.
Career averages
| Kevin McHale | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 17.8 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 7.3 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 1.7 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.4 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 1.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 54.9% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 9.3% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 78.9% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 60.4% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 971 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kevin McHale | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1.70× |
Points vs era avg |
2.39× |
| 1.76× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.35× |
| 0.71× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.21× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kevin McHale's era.
| Kevin McHale | 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
| Kevin McHale | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 18.8 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 7.4 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 1.6 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 0.4 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 1.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 55.7% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 14.6% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 77.0% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 169 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Kevin McHale | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 3 |
Championships |
0 |
| 7 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 1 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #45 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |