Bob Cousy vs. James Harden Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of James Harden and Bob Cousy, 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 / Stats Rankings

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.

Bob Cousy played 14 years in the NBA, 3 less than James Harden, who played 17. Bob Cousy had the first of his seasons in 1950-51, 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 achievements, 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
Bob Cousy 14 13 1950-51 to 1969-70
James Harden 17 16 2009-10 to 2025-26

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1950-512009-10
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 69 - 15.6 - - 6.9 4.9 - - - 2.7 5.8 16.5 .352 - - - 4.0 5.3 .756
difference:+7+5.7+3.7+3.1-0.1+2.7+8.9+.051+1.4+2.1+.052
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 2 - 14.0 - - 7.5 6.0 - - - 4.0 4.5 21.0 .214 - - - 5.0 6.0 .833
difference:+4+6.3+5.0+4.2-1.7+2.5+15.8+.173+2.3+2.8+.009
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1951-522010-11
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 66 40.6 21.7 - - 6.4 6.7 - - - 2.9 7.8 21.0 .369 - - - 6.2 7.7 .808
difference:+16+13.9+9.5+3.3+4.6-0.4+4.2+12.7+.067+2.7+3.5+.035
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 3 46.0 31.0 - - 4.0 6.3 - - - 4.3 8.7 21.7 .400 - - - 13.7 14.7 .932
difference:+14+14.4+18.0+1.4+2.7-1.5+4.8+13.5+.075+9.8+10.0+.107
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1952-532011-12
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement Sixth Man of the Year
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsThunder Lost NBA Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 71 41.5 19.8 - - 6.3 7.7 - - - 3.2 6.5 18.6 .352 - - - 6.7 8.3 .816
difference:+9+10.1+3.0+2.2+4.0-0.8+1.5+8.5+.139+1.7+2.3+.030
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 6 45.0 25.5 - - 4.2 6.2 - - - 3.5 7.7 20.0 .383 - - - 10.2 12.2 .836
difference:+14+13.5+9.2+0.9+2.8-0.1+3.0+9.3+.052+4.8+5.9+.021
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1953-542012-13
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 72 39.7 19.2 - - 5.5 7.2 - - - 2.8 6.8 17.5 .385 - - - 5.7 7.3 .787
difference:+6+1.4+6.7+0.6+1.4-0.5+0.7+0.4+.053+2.9+2.9+.064
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 6 43.3 21.0 - - 5.3 6.3 - - - 3.3 5.5 19.3 .284 - - - 10.0 12.5 .800
difference:+2.8+5.3+1.4+1.8-0.3+2.0+0.1+.107+1.2+1.5+.003
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1954-552013-14
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 71 38.7 21.2 - - 6.0 7.8 - - - 2.3 7.4 18.5 .397 - - - 6.5 8.0 .807
difference:+2+0.7+4.2+1.3+1.7-0.1+0.1+2.0+.059+1.4+1.1+.059
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 7 42.7 21.7 - - 6.1 9.3 - - - 3.7 7.6 19.9 .381 - - - 6.6 6.9 .958
difference:+1+1.1+5.1+1.4+3.5-0.2+0.7+2.3+.005+0.9+1.4+.058
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1955-562014-15
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 72 38.4 18.8 - - 6.8 8.9 - - - 2.9 6.1 17.0 .360 - - - 6.6 7.8 .844
difference:+9+1.6+8.6+1.1+1.9-0.3+1.9+1.1+.080+2.2+2.4+.024
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 3 41.3 26.3 - - 8.0 8.7 - - - 1.3 9.3 18.7 .500 - - - 7.7 8.3 .920
difference:+14+3.9+0.9+2.3+1.2-1.6+1.7+1.4+.061+1.9+2.2+.004
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1956-572015-16
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 64 36.9 20.6 - - 4.8 7.5 - - - 2.1 7.5 19.8 .378 - - - 5.7 6.9 .821
difference:+18+1.2+8.4+1.3-0.7+1.2+0.1+.061+3.1+3.3+.039
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 10 44.0 20.2 - - 6.1 9.3 - - - 2.7 6.7 20.7 .324 - - - 6.8 9.1 .747
difference:+5+5.4+6.4+0.9+1.7-0.1+1.5+0.7+.086+0.8+0.1+.097
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1957-582016-17
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Assists LeaderAchievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 65 34.2 18.0 - - 5.0 7.1 - - - 2.1 6.8 19.4 .353 - - - 4.3 5.0 .850
difference:+16+2.2+11.1+3.1+4.1-0.6+1.5+0.5+.087+4.9+5.9+.003
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 11 41.5 18.0 - - 6.5 7.5 - - - 1.8 6.1 17.8 .342 - - - 5.8 6.8 .853
difference:+4.5+10.5+1.0+1.0-2.1+2.1+2.0+.071+3.4+3.7+.025
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1958-592017-18
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 65 37.0 20.0 - - 5.5 8.6 - - - 2.1 7.4 19.4 .384 - - - 5.1 5.9 .855
difference:+7+1.6+10.4+0.1+0.2-0.2+1.6+0.7+.065+3.6+4.2+.003
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 11 41.8 19.5 - - 6.9 10.8 - - - 2.5 6.5 20.1 .326 - - - 6.4 8.5 .745
difference:+6+5.3+9.1+1.7+4.0-0.2+2.8+2.5+.084+0.5+0.7+.142
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1959-602018-19
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 75 34.5 19.4 - - 4.7 9.5 - - - 1.9 7.6 19.7 .384 - - - 4.3 5.4 .792
difference:+3+2.3+16.7+1.9+2.0-1.2+3.2+4.8+.058+5.4+5.6+.087
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 13 36.0 15.3 - - 3.7 8.9 - - - 2.1 6.2 20.2 .305 - - - 3.0 3.9 .765
difference:+2+2.5+16.3+3.1+2.3-1.6+3.7+3.8+.108+4.5+5.0+.072
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1960-612019-20
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 76 32.5 18.1 - - 4.4 7.7 - - - 2.6 6.8 18.2 .371 - - - 4.6 5.9 .779
difference:+8+4.0+16.2+2.2+0.2-0.7+3.1+4.1+.073+5.6+5.9+.086
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 10 33.7 16.7 - - 4.3 9.1 - - - 3.3 5.0 14.7 .340 - - - 6.7 8.8 .761
difference:+2+3.6+12.9+1.3+1.4-0.3+4.1+4.3+.138+1.5+0.9+.084
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1961-622020-21
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 75 28.2 15.7 - - 3.5 7.8 - - - 1.8 6.2 15.7 .391 - - - 3.3 4.4 .754
difference:+31+8.4+8.9+4.4+3.0-0.5+1.6+1.0+.075+3.0+2.9+.107
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 14 33.9 16.0 - - 4.6 8.8 - - - 3.1 6.1 17.2 .357 - - - 3.7 5.4 .684
difference:+5+1.9+4.2+1.7+0.2-0.5+0.4+5.2+.115+2.5+1.5+.219
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

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1962-632021-22
Team Boston CelticsBrooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 76 26.0 13.2 - - 2.5 6.8 - - - 2.3 5.2 13.0 .397 - - - 2.9 3.9 .735
difference:+11+11.2+8.8+5.2+3.5-0.1+1.1+2.3+.013+4.3+4.3+.142
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 13 30.2 14.1 - - 2.5 8.9 - - - 3.4 5.5 15.7 .353 - - - 3.0 3.6 .830
difference:+1+9.7+4.5+3.2+0.3-1.0+0.2+2.5+.052+2.6+2.7+.063
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

Note: Bob Cousy didn't play in 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1968-69.

Season 14

Bob Cousy James Harden
Season 1969-702022-23
Team Cincinnati RoyalsPhiladelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Assists Leader
Playoffs Did Not Play76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
14th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy 7 4.9 0.7 - - 0.7 1.4 - - - 1.6 0.1 0.4 .333 - - - 0.4 0.4 1.000
difference:+51+31.9+20.3+5.4+9.3-0.3+6.3+14.1+.108+5.0+5.8+.133
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Bob Cousy DNP------ --- ----------
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

Additional Years

* James Harden played 3 seasons more than Bob Cousy in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 15 to 17, from 2024 to 2026—James Harden played in two Playoffs.

In those 3 extra years over Bob Cousy, James Harden got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 1 All-Star Game