James Harden vs. Nick Van Exel Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nick Van Exel 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 2025-26
Nick Van Exel: 1993-94 to 2005-06

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships James Harden 0 Nick Van Exel 0

NBA Seasons James Harden 17 Nick Van Exel 13

Playoffs Played James Harden 16 Nick Van Exel 7

All-Star Games James Harden 11 Nick Van Exel 1

Honors and Awards

Season MVP James Harden 1 Nick Van Exel 0

All-NBA First Team James Harden 6 Nick Van Exel 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) James Harden 8 Nick Van Exel 0

Scoring Leader James Harden 3 Nick Van Exel 0

Assists Leader James Harden 2 Nick Van Exel 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 24.1 Nick Van Exel 14.4

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.6 Nick Van Exel 2.9

Assists Per Game James Harden 7.2 Nick Van Exel 6.6

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.5 Nick Van Exel 0.8

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Nick Van Exel 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 28,325 Nick Van Exel 12,658

Total Rebounds James Harden 6,601 Nick Van Exel 2,545

Total Assists James Harden 8,513 Nick Van Exel 5,777

Total Steals James Harden 1,745 Nick Van Exel 726

Total Blocks James Harden 665 Nick Van Exel 92

Total Games James Harden 1,175 Nick Van Exel 880

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .439 Nick Van Exel .405

3-Point Percentage James Harden .363 Nick Van Exel .357

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .862 Nick Van Exel .794

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 36.1 (2019) Nick Van Exel 18.4 (2002)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 8.1 (2017) Nick Van Exel 3.9 (2000)

Assists Per Game James Harden 11.2 (2017) Nick Van Exel 9.0 (2000)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.0 (2019) Nick Van Exel 1.2 (1995)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.9 (2020) Nick Van Exel 0.3 (2001)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game James Harden 22.5 Nick Van Exel 13.6

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 5.5 Nick Van Exel 2.9

Assists Per Game James Harden 6.5 Nick Van Exel 4.5

Steals Per Game James Harden 1.6 Nick Van Exel 0.8

Blocks Per Game James Harden 0.6 Nick Van Exel 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points James Harden 3,895 Nick Van Exel 1,032

Total Rebounds James Harden 948 Nick Van Exel 221

Total Assists James Harden 1,125 Nick Van Exel 342

Total Steals James Harden 282 Nick Van Exel 64

Total Blocks James Harden 98 Nick Van Exel 6

Total Games James Harden 173 Nick Van Exel 76

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage James Harden .425 Nick Van Exel .394

3-Point Percentage James Harden .340 Nick Van Exel .324

Free Throw Percentage James Harden .869 Nick Van Exel .753

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game James Harden 31.6 (2019) Nick Van Exel 20.0 (1995)

Rebounds Per Game James Harden 6.8 (2019) Nick Van Exel 4.0 (1996)

Assists Per Game James Harden 9.1 (2025) Nick Van Exel 7.3 (1995)

Steals Per Game James Harden 2.4 (2016) Nick Van Exel 2.1 (1995)

Blocks Per Game James Harden 1.0 (2025) Nick Van Exel 0.3 (1995)