James Harden vs. Don Nelson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Don Nelson and James Harden that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

James Harden

vs.

Don Nelson

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
James Harden: 2009-10 to 2023-24
Don Nelson: 1962-63 to 1975-76

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships James Harden 0 Don Nelson 5

NBA Seasons James Harden 15 Don Nelson 14

Playoffs Played James Harden 15 Don Nelson 11

All-Star Games James Harden 10 Don Nelson 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP James Harden 1 Don Nelson 0

All-NBA First Team James Harden 6 Don Nelson 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) James Harden 7 Don Nelson 0

Scoring Leader James Harden 3 Don Nelson 0

Assists Leader James Harden 2 Don Nelson 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 24.1 Don Nelson 10.3

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.6 Don Nelson 4.9

Assists Per Game James Harden 7.1 Don Nelson 1.4

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.5 Don Nelson 0.3 *

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Don Nelson 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 25,885 Don Nelson 10,898

Total Rebounds James Harden 6,017 Don Nelson 5,192

Total Assists James Harden 7,629 Don Nelson 1,526

Total Steals James Harden 1,597 Don Nelson 65 *

Total Blocks James Harden 600 Don Nelson 35 *

Total Games James Harden 1,072 Don Nelson 1,053

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .441 Don Nelson .480

3-Point Percentage James Harden .364 Don Nelson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .861 Don Nelson .765

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 36.1 (2019) Don Nelson 15.4 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 8.1 (2017) Don Nelson 7.3 (1970)

Assists Per Game James Harden 11.2 (2017) Don Nelson 2.3 (1972)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.0 (2019) Don Nelson 0.4 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.9 (2020) Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 22.7 Don Nelson 10.5

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.5 Don Nelson 4.8

Assists Per Game James Harden 6.3 Don Nelson 1.4

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.7 Don Nelson 0.3 *

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.5 Don Nelson 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 3,708 Don Nelson 1,577

Total Rebounds James Harden 893 Don Nelson 719

Total Assists James Harden 1,034 Don Nelson 210

Total Steals James Harden 270 Don Nelson 13 *

Total Blocks James Harden 89 Don Nelson 7 *

Total Games James Harden 163 Don Nelson 150

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .425 Don Nelson .498

3-Point Percentage James Harden .340 Don Nelson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .870 Don Nelson .817

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 31.6 (2019) Don Nelson 15.4 (1975)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 6.8 (2019) Don Nelson 7.5 (1968)

Assists Per Game James Harden 8.6 (2022) Don Nelson 2.4 (1975)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.4 (2016) Don Nelson 0.4 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game James Harden 1.3 (2024) Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.