Why Allen Iverson is Greater than James Harden

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Allen Iverson and James Harden: A Comparison
3. Allen Iverson's Prime Years
4. James Harden's Prime Years
5. Allen Iverson's Playoff Performances
6. James Harden's Playoff Performances
7. Allen Iverson's MVP Season
8. James Harden's MVP Season
9. Teammate Help Comparison
10. Conclusion

Allen Iverson vs James Harden: Who is the Better Overall Player?

When it comes to the NBA, there have been many all-time great players who could fill it up and put the ball in the basket. However, We Are looking for unique talents who can score, and Allen Iverson and James Harden are definitely at the top of that list. In recent years, both these players have been in heated debates arguing which player is better and who has the greater overall legacy. In this article, we will be looking at this debate and giving our take on why Allen Iverson is a better overall player compared to James Harden.

Allen Iverson's Prime Years

When looking at Allen Iverson's prime years, it is important to note that his prime was in the early 2000s. In the simplest terms of years, they aren't that far apart, but in terms of play styles in both those leagues, it couldn't be more different. Allen Iverson, in his prime, played in the tougher NBA. Looking at a graphic on the screen, we have Allen Iverson's eight years in his prime with the Philadelphia 76ers. For each of those seasons, we ranked the enemies of the average when it came to points from lowest to highest. Looking at 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2002, there's all the top five lowest scoring seasons in NBA history. Even looking at 2006 and 2005, they're still in the top 10, and even 2000 is at 11. So, to put this into Context, eight out of the 11 lowest scoring years in history came during Allen Iverson's prime in his playing days. Doing the exact same thing, this time with James Harden's prime, You have some staggering numbers as Iverson has seven of the ten lowest pay seasons in NBA history. Once again, the pace of play was bogged down, it was iso-heavy, and defense was undoubtedly better than it was in the late 2010s during James Harden's prime. It's not an insult to James Harden, but in AI's era, it was hard to score and hard to put up gaudy stats and points. And once again, talking about prime Allen Iverson when it came to scoring, he was one of the best, if not the best, players in the entire NBA.

Looking at his prime resume, he's a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA member, three-time first team, a four-time scoring champ, a three-time steals leader, and a five-time minutes leader. Allen Iverson, for an eight-year stretch, was playing 43 minutes per game, putting up 30 points as a six-foot shooting guard in the toughest defensive era in NBA history. Even looking more in-depth at his scoring during his prime, he had 12 games of 50+ points, which was most in the NBA, 78 games at 40+ points, once again the most, and 292 games of 30+ points, also the most. That was in an era with Kobe, Shaq, T-Mac, and some other all-time great scorers. And once again, during that time period, he's a four-time scoring champ, averaging nearly 30 points per game for an eight-year stretch.

James Harden's Prime Years

James Harden's prime years were in the late 2010s, and his offensive impact is definitely great. When it comes to being influential, he's on the level of someone like an Allen Iverson. However, when comparing him to Iverson, it's important to note that his era was completely different. In James Harden's prime, there were 246 teams that averaged 100 points per game, nearly five times more than in Allen Iverson's prime. Harden had 65 teams average 105 points per game, while Iverson had 13. Iverson's era had five teams average 110 points per game, while Harden had 38, nearly four times more.

Allen Iverson's Playoff Performances

When it comes to playoffs, what really matters is how good you are. Looking at both Iverson and Harden, they have their ups as well as their downs. For Iverson, his primary playoffs were from 1999 to 2006, while for James Harden, it was from 2012 to 2021. It's a pretty good sample size to compare both these players as playoff performers. Looking at Iverson, he averaged 30.6 points a game, 6.1 assists, 4.2 boards, and 2.2 steals on 40% shooting. Harden averaged 27.6 points per game, 7.2 assists, 5.7 boards, and 1.9 steals on 42% shooting. Once again, looking at the raw stat numbers for these players, it's definitely pretty comparable. Being an objective view, we would say Iverson has the better overall raw stat numbers. Once again, that's without context of era, how tough the defense was in AI's time.

Looking at Iverson's best teammates, he had Carmelo Anthony, Jerry Stackhouse, Dikembe, Derek Coleman, as well as Chris Webber. Definitely some pretty good individual players for All-Star level. With his help, he made the finals and even beat LA in a game one. Once again, that fact right there is a pretty big indictment on James Harden as a playoff performer.

James Harden's Playoff Performances

Looking at James Harden's playoff performances, he has had some impressive runs. However, when compared to Allen Iverson, it's hard to argue that he's the better overall player. In his entire career, he's only averaged 30 in a series twice compared to one Allen Iverson playoff run. Looking at both these players and the leagues they played at, it's clear that these two players' eras couldn't be more different.

Allen Iverson's MVP Season

When looking at both these players at their absolute peaks, what better comparison to make than their MVP seasons? For Allen Iverson, that was in 2001, where he averaged 31 points per game and led his team to 56 wins in a tough Eastern Conference. For James Harden, it was back in 2018, where his team won a staggering 65 games. Also, that year, Harden made the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Looking at the playoff comparison, Allen Iverson averaged 32.9 points per game, 6.1 assists, 4.7 boards, and 2.4 steals on 39% shooting. James Harden averaged 28.6 points per game, 6.8 assists, 5.2 boards, and 2.2 steals on 41% shooting. Once again, the stats for both these players are definitely pretty comparable.

James Harden's MVP Season

Looking at both these players in their biggest overall series, Allen Iverson had his biggest series against the NBA Foster Lakers, while James Harden had his biggest series in the Western Conference finals versus the Golden State Warriors. Allen Iverson averaged 35.6 points per game, 2.8 assists, 5.6 boards, and 1.8 steals on 41% shooting. In game one of that series, he scored 48 points and beat LA at home. That only lost the 01 postseason. James Harden's series obviously had lower stakes as he wasn't in the NBA finals. In that series, the Rockets were up three games to two, and in typical Harden fashion, they would lose that series and not make the NBA finals. Even with all that being said, he still might say James Harden had the better even more impressive playoff run.

Teammate Help Comparison

Looking at James Harden's teammate help, he played with Kevin Durant twice, Westbrook twice, Kyrie Irving once, Chris Paul, as well as Dwight Howard. That list right there is absolutely stacked with top for the all-time talent, some of the best players to ever play the game. Once again, with all that talent, he made one M85's appearance when he wasn't even in his prime. Iverson with his help made the finals and even beat LA in a game one. That fact right there is a pretty big indictment on James Harden as a playoff performer.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Allen Iverson played in a tougher era, was better in the playoffs, had the better peak, and a better MVP season. He did more with less, and when it comes down to it, he's a more iconic figure compared to James Harden. He inspired a generation of players, the style of the NBA, and countless other things. James Harden's offensive impact is definitely great when it comes to being influential. He's on the level of someone like an Allen Iverson. However, when comparing him to Iverson, it's important to note that his era was completely different.