Cross-era · careers 51 years apart

Vern Mikkelsen vs James Harden

Vern Mikkelsen 1949-1958 · Forward James Harden 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Vern Mikkelsen (1949-1958) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 51 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 14.4); adjusted for era they scored at 1.50× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 47.9%). James Harden holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP and the #41 all-time ranking to Vern Mikkelsen's #74.

Career averages

Vern MikkelsenStatJames Harden
14.4 Points / game 24.0
8.5 Rebounds / game 5.6
2.2 Assists / game 7.3
0.0 Steals / game 1.5
0.0 Blocks / game 0.6
40.1% Field goal % 43.8%
0.0% 3-point % 36.5%
76.4% Free throw % 86.0%
47.9% True shooting % 64.1%
699 Games played 1,221

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Vern MikkelsenStatJames Harden
1.50× Points vs era avg 2.39×
1.67× Rebounds vs era avg 1.35×
0.99× Assists vs era avg 3.21×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Vern Mikkelsen's era.

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

Playoff averages

Vern MikkelsenStatJames Harden
13.4 Points / game 22.5
6.9 Rebounds / game 5.5
1.8 Assists / game 6.5
0.0 Steals / game 1.6
0.0 Blocks / game 0.6
39.8% Field goal % 43.0%
0.0% 3-point % 34.7%
79.2% Free throw % 86.5%
85 Playoff games 173

Accolades

Vern MikkelsenStatJames Harden
0 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 0
6 All-Star selections 10
0 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#74 All-time GOAT rank #41

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