All Clippers

NBA Champion Makes Shockingly Massive James Harden Statement

This take might be a bit controversial.

Farbod Esnaashari

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Trevor Ariza has played with some of the greatest NBA players and scorers of all time. Ariza has been teammates with both LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, but he actually named someone else as the greatest scorer he's ever played with.

In an interview with Theo Pinson on the Run Your Race Podcast, Trevor Ariza revealed that he believes James Harden is the greatest scorer he's ever played with.

"For sure James," Ariza said. "He figured out how to score the basketball... He had it. The sh*t he was doing was just crazy. Just being on the court sometimes you'd kind of fall asleep just watch him, like damn, he really did that? It's kinda like Luka right now. What really can you do with him right now?"

In the 2019 season, James Harden averaged 36.1 points, 7.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.0 steals on 44/37/88 shooting from the field. In the 2006 season, Kobe Bryant averaged 35.4 points, 4.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals on 45/35/85 shooting from the field. Granted, the degree of Kobe's shot difficulty was much higher than anything Harden dealt with, but it still doesn't take away from just how amazing Harden's season was.

While some may find Trevor Ariza's statement controversial, James Harden has definitely become underrated in the eyes of the modern NBA fan. For years, he was one of the greatest offensive players ever, and very much was the system.

Related Articles

Philadelphia 76ers Star Reveals Honest Feelings on James Harden

Exclusive: Russell Westbrook Opens Up About Role With Clippers

James Harden Opens Up About Playing for Clippers After Rough Few Years

Published
Farbod Esnaashari
FARBOD ESNAASHARI

12-year NBA veteran that's covered the league on Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and ESPN.

Home/News