Alvan Adams vs. James Harden Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of James Harden and Alvan Adams, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Alvan Adams played 13 years in the NBA, 2 less than James Harden, who played 15. Alvan Adams had the first of his seasons in 1975-76, while James Harden had his rookie season in 2009-10. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Alvan Adams 13 9 1975-76 to 1987-88
James Harden 15 15 2009-10 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15

Rookie Season

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1975-762009-10
Team Phoenix SunsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Suns Lost NBA FinalsThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 80 33.2 19.0 2.7 6.4 9.1 5.6 1.5 1.5 - 3.4 7.9 16.8 .469 - - - 3.3 4.4 .735
James Harden 76 22.9 9.9 0.6 2.6 3.2 1.8 1.1 0.3 1.4 2.6 3.1 7.6 .403 1.2 3.3 .375 2.6 3.2 .808
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 19 35.2 17.9 2.8 7.2 10.1 5.2 1.3 1.1 - 3.2 7.2 15.9 .452 - - - 3.5 4.3 .817
James Harden 6 20.0 7.7 0.2 2.3 2.5 1.8 1.0 0.2 0.5 2.3 2.0 5.2 .387 1.0 2.7 .375 2.7 3.2 .842

Season 2

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1976-772010-11
Team Phoenix SunsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 72 31.6 18.0 2.5 6.6 9.1 4.5 1.3 1.2 - 3.6 7.3 15.3 .474 - - - 3.5 4.6 .754
James Harden 82 26.7 12.2 0.5 2.6 3.1 2.1 1.1 0.3 1.3 2.5 3.6 8.3 .436 1.4 4.0 .349 3.5 4.2 .843
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 17 31.6 13.0 0.6 4.8 5.4 3.6 1.2 0.8 1.6 2.8 3.9 8.2 .475 1.4 4.5 .303 3.9 4.7 .825

Season 3

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1977-782011-12
Team Phoenix SunsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement Sixth Man of the Year
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdThunder Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 70 27.3 15.5 2.3 5.8 8.1 3.2 1.2 0.9 3.3 3.5 6.2 12.8 .485 - - - 3.1 4.2 .730
James Harden 62 31.4 16.8 0.5 3.6 4.1 3.7 1.0 0.2 2.2 2.4 5.0 10.1 .491 1.8 4.7 .390 5.0 6.0 .846
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 2 35.5 16.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 2.0 1.0 0.5 4.5 4.0 7.5 16.5 .455 - - - 1.0 1.0 1.000
James Harden 20 31.5 16.3 0.7 4.5 5.1 3.4 1.6 0.1 2.1 3.4 4.7 10.7 .435 1.6 3.9 .410 5.4 6.3 .857

Season 4

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1978-792012-13
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf FinalsRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 77 30.7 17.8 2.9 6.3 9.2 4.7 1.4 0.8 3.6 3.2 7.4 13.9 .530 - - - 3.0 3.8 .799
James Harden 78 38.3 25.9 0.8 4.1 4.9 5.8 1.8 0.5 3.8 2.3 7.5 17.1 .438 2.3 6.2 .368 8.6 10.2 .851
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 12 31.0 12.8 2.1 5.4 7.5 4.4 0.9 1.0 3.0 3.4 5.5 11.6 .475 - - - 1.8 2.6 .710
James Harden 6 40.5 26.3 0.8 5.8 6.7 4.5 2.0 1.0 4.5 3.0 7.5 19.2 .391 2.5 7.3 .341 8.8 11.0 .803

Season 5

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1979-802013-14
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 75 28.9 14.9 2.1 6.0 8.1 4.3 1.4 0.7 2.9 3.2 6.2 11.7 .531 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.1 .797
James Harden 73 38.0 25.4 0.8 3.9 4.7 6.1 1.6 0.4 3.6 2.4 7.5 16.5 .456 2.4 6.6 .366 7.9 9.1 .866
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 8 31.4 16.1 2.3 7.4 9.6 5.8 0.9 1.3 3.0 3.0 7.0 12.4 .566 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 2.4 .895
James Harden 6 43.8 26.8 0.8 3.8 4.7 5.8 2.0 0.2 3.5 3.5 8.3 22.2 .376 2.7 9.0 .296 7.5 8.3 .900

Season 6

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1980-812014-15
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 75 27.4 14.9 2.1 5.2 7.3 4.6 1.4 0.9 3.0 3.0 6.1 11.6 .526 0.0 0.0 - 2.7 3.5 .768
James Harden 81 36.8 27.4 0.9 4.7 5.7 7.0 1.9 0.7 4.0 2.6 8.0 18.1 .440 2.6 6.9 .375 8.8 10.2 .868
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 7 31.1 10.6 1.6 4.3 5.9 3.7 0.6 0.1 2.7 2.9 3.9 8.6 .450 0.0 0.0 - 2.9 4.0 .714
James Harden 17 37.4 27.2 0.7 5.0 5.7 7.5 1.6 0.4 4.5 2.9 7.6 17.3 .439 2.4 6.3 .383 9.6 10.5 .916

Season 7

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1981-822015-16
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 79 30.3 15.1 1.7 5.7 7.4 4.5 1.4 1.0 2.5 3.4 6.4 13.0 .494 0.0 0.0 .000 2.3 2.9 .781
James Harden 82 38.1 29.0 0.8 5.3 6.1 7.5 1.7 0.6 4.6 2.8 8.7 19.7 .439 2.9 8.0 .359 8.8 10.2 .860
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 7 33.3 16.9 2.7 4.6 7.3 3.7 2.0 1.4 3.0 3.1 6.9 13.1 .522 0.0 0.0 - 3.1 4.0 .786
James Harden 5 38.6 26.6 1.4 3.8 5.2 7.6 2.4 0.2 5.2 2.6 8.2 20.0 .410 2.6 8.4 .310 7.6 9.0 .844

Season 8

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1982-832016-17
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 80 30.6 14.2 2.0 4.8 6.9 4.7 1.4 0.9 3.0 3.6 6.0 12.3 .486 0.0 0.0 .333 2.3 2.7 .829
James Harden 81 36.4 29.1 1.2 7.0 8.1 11.2 1.5 0.5 5.7 2.7 8.3 18.9 .440 3.2 9.3 .347 9.2 10.9 .847
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 3 28.0 11.7 1.0 5.0 6.0 4.7 0.7 1.7 1.7 5.0 5.0 10.7 .469 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 2.3 .714
James Harden 11 37.0 28.5 0.6 4.8 5.5 8.5 1.9 0.5 5.4 3.9 8.2 19.8 .413 2.9 10.5 .278 9.2 10.5 .878

Season 9

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1983-842017-18
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf FinalsRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 70 20.7 9.6 1.7 2.9 4.6 3.1 1.0 0.4 1.7 2.8 3.8 8.3 .462 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 2.3 .825
James Harden 72 35.4 30.4 0.6 4.8 5.4 8.8 1.8 0.7 4.4 2.3 9.0 20.1 .449 3.7 10.0 .367 8.7 10.1 .858
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 17 18.4 8.4 1.6 3.5 5.1 2.5 1.0 0.6 2.0 3.1 3.1 7.4 .421 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 3.1 .679
James Harden 17 36.5 28.6 0.8 4.4 5.2 6.8 2.2 0.6 3.8 2.7 9.3 22.6 .410 3.1 10.2 .299 6.9 7.8 .887

Season 10

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1984-852018-19
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 82 26.0 14.7 1.9 4.2 6.1 3.8 1.4 0.6 2.4 3.1 5.8 11.2 .520 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.5 .883
James Harden 78 36.8 36.1 0.8 5.8 6.6 7.5 2.0 0.7 5.0 3.1 10.8 24.5 .442 4.8 13.2 .368 9.7 11.0 .879
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 3 26.3 17.0 1.3 4.3 5.7 3.7 2.3 0.3 2.0 2.7 7.7 15.3 .500 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 2.0 .833
James Harden 11 38.5 31.6 0.8 6.0 6.8 6.6 2.2 0.9 4.6 3.7 9.9 24.0 .413 4.4 12.5 .350 7.5 8.9 .837

Season 11

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1985-862019-20
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 78 25.7 10.8 1.9 4.2 6.1 4.2 1.3 0.6 2.6 3.5 4.4 8.7 .502 0.0 0.0 .000 2.0 2.6 .783
James Harden 68 36.5 34.3 1.0 5.5 6.6 7.5 1.8 0.9 4.5 3.3 9.9 22.3 .444 4.4 12.4 .355 10.2 11.8 .865
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 12 37.3 29.6 1.0 4.6 5.6 7.7 1.5 0.8 3.8 3.6 9.1 19.0 .478 3.3 9.8 .333 8.2 9.7 .845

Season 12

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1986-872020-21
Team Phoenix SunsHouston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 68 24.9 11.1 1.3 3.6 5.0 3.3 0.9 0.5 2.0 3.0 4.6 9.1 .503 0.0 0.0 .000 2.0 2.5 .788
James Harden 44 36.6 24.6 0.8 7.1 7.9 10.8 1.2 0.8 4.0 2.3 7.8 16.7 .466 2.8 7.6 .362 6.3 7.3 .861
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 9 35.8 20.2 0.8 5.6 6.3 8.6 1.7 0.7 2.9 2.6 5.7 12.0 .472 2.7 7.3 .364 6.2 6.9 .903

Season 13

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season 1987-882021-22
Team Phoenix SunsBrooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not Play76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams 82 20.1 7.5 1.4 3.0 4.5 2.2 1.0 0.5 1.7 3.0 3.1 6.2 .496 0.0 0.0 .500 1.3 1.6 .844
James Harden 65 37.2 22.0 0.8 6.8 7.7 10.3 1.3 0.6 4.4 2.4 6.3 15.3 .410 2.3 6.9 .330 7.2 8.2 .877
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 12 39.9 18.6 0.9 4.8 5.7 8.6 0.8 0.7 4.2 2.4 5.3 13.2 .405 2.3 6.3 .368 5.6 6.3 .893

Season 14

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season -2022-23
Team -Philadelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Assists Leader
Playoffs -76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 58 36.8 21.0 0.7 5.4 6.1 10.7 1.2 0.5 3.4 1.9 6.4 14.5 .441 2.8 7.2 .385 5.4 6.2 .867
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 11 38.8 20.3 0.5 5.6 6.2 8.3 1.8 0.4 3.2 2.5 6.5 16.6 .393 2.8 7.5 .378 4.4 5.0 .873

Season 15

Alvan Adams James Harden
Season -2023-24
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 72 34.3 16.6 0.5 4.7 5.1 8.5 1.1 0.8 2.6 1.8 4.9 11.4 .428 2.6 6.8 .381 4.2 4.8 .878
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Alvan Adams ------- --- ----------
James Harden 6 40.3 21.2 0.5 4.0 4.5 8.0 1.0 1.0 2.3 2.2 6.7 14.8 .449 3.0 7.8 .383 4.8 5.3 .906