Cross-era · careers 45 years apart
Tom Heinsohn vs James Harden
Tom Heinsohn (1956-1964) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 45 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 18.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 45.9%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Tom Heinsohn's #47.
Career averages
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 18.6 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 8.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 2.0 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 40.4% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 79.1% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 45.9% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 654 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1.61× |
Points vs era avg |
2.39× |
| 1.40× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.35× |
| 0.91× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.21× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Tom Heinsohn's era.
| Tom Heinsohn | 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
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 19.8 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 9.2 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 2.1 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 39.9% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 73.6% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 104 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 8 |
Championships |
0 |
| 5 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #47 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |