James Harden vs. Elfrid Payton Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Elfrid Payton 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

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
James Harden: 2009-10 to 2024-25
Elfrid Payton: 2014-15 to 2024-25

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships James Harden 0 Elfrid Payton 0

NBA Seasons James Harden 16 Elfrid Payton 9

Playoffs Played James Harden 16 Elfrid Payton 2

All-Star Games James Harden 11 Elfrid Payton 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP James Harden 1 Elfrid Payton 0

All-NBA First Team James Harden 6 Elfrid Payton 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) James Harden 8 Elfrid Payton 0

Scoring Leader James Harden 3 Elfrid Payton 0

Assists Leader James Harden 2 Elfrid Payton 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 24.1 Elfrid Payton 9.8

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.6 Elfrid Payton 4.0

Assists Per Game James Harden 7.2 Elfrid Payton 5.8

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.5 Elfrid Payton 1.2

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Elfrid Payton 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 27,687 Elfrid Payton 5,121

Total Rebounds James Harden 6,473 Elfrid Payton 2,086

Total Assists James Harden 8,316 Elfrid Payton 3,033

Total Steals James Harden 1,715 Elfrid Payton 612

Total Blocks James Harden 655 Elfrid Payton 162

Total Games James Harden 1,151 Elfrid Payton 524

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .439 Elfrid Payton .444

3-Point Percentage James Harden .363 Elfrid Payton .286

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .861 Elfrid Payton .623

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 36.1 (2019) Elfrid Payton 12.8 (2017)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 8.1 (2017) Elfrid Payton 5.2 (2019)

Assists Per Game James Harden 11.2 (2017) Elfrid Payton 7.6 (2019)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.0 (2019) Elfrid Payton 1.7 (2015)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.9 (2020) Elfrid Payton 0.5 (2017)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 22.5 Elfrid Payton 1.3

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.5 Elfrid Payton 0.0

Assists Per Game James Harden 6.5 Elfrid Payton 1.0

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.6 Elfrid Payton 0.3

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Elfrid Payton 0.0

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 3,895 Elfrid Payton 5

Total Rebounds James Harden 948 Elfrid Payton 0

Total Assists James Harden 1,125 Elfrid Payton 4

Total Steals James Harden 282 Elfrid Payton 1

Total Blocks James Harden 98 Elfrid Payton 0

Total Games James Harden 173 Elfrid Payton 4

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .425 Elfrid Payton .250

3-Point Percentage James Harden .340 Elfrid Payton -

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .869 Elfrid Payton .500

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 31.6 (2019) Elfrid Payton 2.0 (2022)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 6.8 (2019) Elfrid Payton 0.0 (2022)

Assists Per Game James Harden 9.1 (2025) Elfrid Payton 1.5 (2022)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.4 (2016) Elfrid Payton 0.5 (2021)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 1.0 (2025) Elfrid Payton 0.0 (2022)