Cooper Flagg vs. James Harden Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of James Harden and Cooper Flagg, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
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.
Cooper Flagg played 1 year in the NBA, 16 less than James Harden, who played 17. Cooper Flagg had his first NBA Season in 2025-26, 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 |
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 0 | 2025-26 |
| James Harden | 17 | 16 | 2009-10 to 2025-26 |
Comparison Season by Season |
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Jump to season: | ||
Rookie Season |
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| Cooper Flagg | James Harden | |
| Season | 2025-26 | 2009-10 |
| Team | Dallas Mavericks | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Honors & Awards | - |  All-Rookie Second Team |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Thunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd |
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 32.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | .308 | 0.0 | 1.0 | .000 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.000 |
| difference: | +75 | +9.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +6.4 | +6.8 | +1.8 | +0.1 | +0.3 | -1.6 | -0.4 | +0.9 | +5.4 | +.095 | +1.2 | +2.3 | +.375 | +0.6 | +1.2 | +.192 |
| 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 | % | ||||
| Cooper Flagg | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 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 |
Additional Years |
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* James Harden played 16 seasons more than Cooper Flagg in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 2 to 17, from 2011 to 2026—James Harden played in 15 Playoffs. In those 16 extra years over Cooper Flagg, James Harden got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 1 Season MVP 6 All-NBA First Team 2 All-NBA Third Team 1 Sixth Man of the Year 3 Scoring Leader 2 Assists Leader 11 All-Star Game |