James Harden Vs. Russell Westbrook Debate

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James Harden had another mind-blowing performance last night posting 40 points, 10 assists, and 15 rebounds. James Harden became just the 4th player in NBA history to have back-to-back 40 point triple doubles. The other three are Pete Marovich, Michael Jordan, and Russell Westbrook. The last guy of those three is currently competing with Harden for this year's NBA MVP award. The case could be made for both players to win the award, but here is a quick comparison of what they are doing this year.

James Harden

28.5 Points, 11.8 Assists, 8.4 Rebounds, 44% FG, 35% 3pt FG

James Harden has been somewhat of a surprise this season after Mike D'Antoni made the decision to have James Harden become the point guard for this team. There was a lot of speculation about how well Harden would make the transition. Clearly, Harden has adjusted fine to playing point guard. He has more than doubling his career assist average of 5.4 to 11.8 this season. Harden has also had a huge jump in his assist percentage. This year Harden has assisted on 52.2% of his team's field goals when he is on the floor. Looking at the team Harden has around him it is a little surprising that the Rockets are 31-9 and only 2.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors. The team's success is not all thanks to Harden, though. Much of their success should be credited to Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni's offense is a perfect fit for the group of guys he has. That's not to take away from Harden's performances, but he may not have the high-level success he is having without the offense he is in.

Russell Westbrook

31.2 Points, 10.4 Assists, 10.6 Rebounds, 43% FG, 34% 3pt FG

Westbrook currently is the MVP favorite. Westbrook is averaging a triple double, something that has been done this far into the season since Oscar Robertson. Aside from Westbrook's numbers he has a lot more carrying to do with his team. Unlike Harden, Westbrook is in an offensive system that relies solely on his ability to create for others. Westbrook also has a higher usage percentage than James Harden. While Harden is at 34%, Westbrook is at 42.2% which proves that Westbrook has to do a lot more for his team when he is on the floor. Westbrook also has a higher assist percentage than Harden assisting on 57.6% of his team's baskets when he is on the floor. Westbrook is statistically beating out Harden in every category except win shares. Harden currently has more win shares than Westbrook. This makes sense considering the Thunder have a record 23-16 and are seventh in the Western Conference.

Harden is performing very well this season and if continues to string together games like he has had lately he may be able to pass Westbrook as the MVP favorite. Another thing in Harden's favor is his team's performance. The Rockets have 8 more wins than the Thunder right now and are currently on a 9 game winning streak going into tonight's game against the Timberwolves. The Thunder, on the other hand, are 5-4 in their last nine games going into tonight's game against the Grizzlies. With half a season to go Harden still has a shot at catching Westbrook.

James Harden Vs. Russell Westbrook

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Tonight two of the leagues elite players will be going head to head as the Huston Rockets face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both players are playing at MVP levels so far this season. Russell Westbrook is averaging 32 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.9 assists per game. James Harden is averaging 30.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 12.6 assists per game. With both players being the clear face of the franchise for the first time in their careers it should be fun to watch.

Harden has made the transition to point guard seamlessly and is fitting very well in Mike D'Antoni's system. For a team expected to decline this season the Rockets have all the right personnel on the team to execute D'Antoni's offense perfectly. The team is reminiscent of the 2008 Phoenix Suns and that is no a bad thing at all.

Westbrook is getting used to life without Durant and so far he has personally played well. His team on the other hand has some what struggled as of late. With a 4 losing streak the Thunder are looking to get back to what they were doing early in the season. It will be hard against this Rockets team, but it should be a close game.

NBA: 5 Biggest Surprises so far this Season

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Wizards Early Struggles

The Washington Wizards are a team that going into this season were expected to improve from last season. Last year Bradley Beal was out for a good portion of the season and the team had struggles of their own. They made a late season push ending with a .500 win percentage. The problem was the East was very competitive and a 41-41 record landed the Wizards at 10th missing the playoffs. Being fully healthy and the arrival of a new coach many expected the Wizards to make the playoffs this year. Although it is still early the Wizards are 1-5 through six games. They are tied for third worst in the NBA. I think this will change as the season goes on. This team needs time to play with each other and they need to get used to Scott Brooks system.

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Lakers Early Success

The Lakers are 4-4 on the season. For a team expected to land in the lottery again they have started off strong. They are also a young group. With Luke Walton at the helm it should be interesting to see if he can keep the team winning at this rate. It would be shocking to see the Lakers make the playoffs, but like the Wizards it is a long season. I expect the Lakers to have change of fortune sooner or later.

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Under the Radar Team

With all the trade speculation and discombobulation surrounding the Kings they have a 4-5 record. It is  a good sign for a team that has such bad reputation. All the questions with their roster moves, management, and even ownership maybe this will be the change of things. It is the Sacramento Kings though. Chances are they will trade Darren Collison for another Center just to see how many they can get before DeMarcus Cousins throws Vlade Divac through a wall.

Point Harden?

Well many questioned Mike D'Antoni making James Harden the Rockets starting point guard. The result? Fantastic. Harden is averaging 31.6 points per game and 12.7 assists per game. That is third and first in the league respectively. With a 4-3 record the Rockets are looking alright after Dwight Howard left for Atlanta.

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DeMar DeRozan

There has not been a lot of talk about DeMar DeRozan or the Toronto Raptors. DeMar DeRozan is quietly averaging 33.7 points per game and his team is 4-2. In a league so three point oriented DeRozan has only taken 10 three pointers and made 2. It is crazy to think he is leading the league in scoring. Every year the Raptors are the most slept on team and they never get the attention they deserve. Keep an eye out for DeRozan for this could be the year he wins the scoring title if he keeps it up.