![]() Elite and defense have never been mentioned the same sentence as T-Mac in any capacity. So if anything, the better team play on the defensive end likely propped up T-Mac’s defensive metrics just a smidge, not to mention, despite still carrying some flaws, Harden has blossomed into a truly elite defender in the post. Harden’s Rockets teams finished 16th, 13th, 8th, 7th, 3rd, and 13th. T-Mac was a little better as a perimeter defender due to his quickness and athleticism, while Harden is better in the post due to his sturdiness and strength.īut it’s also important to note that McGrady played on better defensive teams than Harden throughout his career, which often artificially influences individual defensive metrics since that end of the court is so dependent upon full-team synergy and integration.įor instance, during T-Mac’s time as a Rocket, Houston finished 4th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd, and 4th in the NBA in defensive rating. The highest he’s finished was fourth.įor anyone out there screaming, “But the defense,” both McGrady and Harden finished their prime nine with defensive box plus-minus ratings of +0.9. ![]() Harden's also won an MVP and finished runner-up three times. McGrady never led in total win shares, led in offensive win shares once, offensive plus minus twice and total box plus-minus once. In advanced metrics, Harden led the league in win shares five times during his prime nine, offensive win shares three times, offensive plus-minus three times and total box plus-minus twice. In addition, the only categories McGrady finished better than Harden is blocks and turnovers, and while a lot of categories are close, Harden holds a noticeable advantage in both points and assists. Rebounding can often be a result of effort, and we’ll have more on effort or lack thereof later on. McGrady was a swingman, meaning he did spend some time technically in the front court at the small forward position, and he’s 6’8” to Harden’s 6’5”, but Harden owns a slight edge in the boards category. ![]() Give T-Mac more triple attempts (if he played in today’s game), and what does that look like? In fact, T-Mac is just a 33 percent shooter from deep for his career, which is well below average. Harden does take more threes, but McGrady’s never been a better three-point shooter than Harden. For anyone out there saying Harden’s better scoring clip is simply the result of volume (and they’re out there, I’ve seen you), it’s important to point out that McGrady took an average of 2.8 more shots per game over Harden during their prime nine seasons. He took an average of 21.5 shots per game over those nine seasons.Ī few things stand out. ![]() McGrady averages 25.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.2 turnovers per game on 43.4 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc. He took an average of 18.7 shots per game over that time frame. Harden averages 28.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 4.3 turnovers, while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from deep. That’s about as even a cross-section as you can get, encapsulating both player’s finest seasons, and eliminating their worsts. prime debate, we’re going to look at James Harden’s time with the Rockets, plus his Sixth Man of the year award year in Oklahoma City, so 8.5 seasons (would be nine at the completion of this year), and compare it to Tracy McGrady’s time as a starter in Houston (so eliminating the 2009-2010 season) along with his four years with the Orlando Magic (nine total seasons). We’ll take a look a three different areas to make this determination: Numbers, team success, and intangibles. None of this has anything to do with who the better player is/was, however. There’s also plenty of people out there who dislike James Harden and would take Ryan Bowen over him in a popularity poll. McGrady was a star, there is no doubt, and he meant a lot to a generation of fans who grew up watching him play. No one can police your personal preferences. Now you may like T-Mac better, and that’s okay. I’ve watched the careers of both very closely, and there’s simply no argument to be made for McGrady. Harden is the better player, and it’s not particularly close. But a simple look at the careers of both players show that this shouldn’t even really be a debate. The latest NBA Twitter debate is Houston Rockets-related, and it’s pitting two franchise greats against one another in James Harden versus Tracy McGrady.
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