Joel Anthony vs. James Harden Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of James Harden and Joel Anthony, 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 / Games against each other

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.

Joel Anthony played 10 years in the NBA, 5 less than James Harden, who played 15. Joel Anthony had the first of his seasons in 2007-08, 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 achivements, 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
Joel Anthony 10 6 2007-08 to 2016-17
James Harden 15 15 2009-10 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15

Rookie Season

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2007-082009-10
Team Miami HeatOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 24 20.8 3.5 1.6 2.3 3.9 0.1 0.4 1.3 0.7 2.3 1.2 2.5 .467 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 2.0 .592
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 %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2008-092010-11
Team Miami HeatOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Heat Lost East Conf 1st RdThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 65 16.1 2.2 1.4 1.7 3.0 0.4 0.3 1.4 0.6 2.1 0.9 1.8 .483 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 0.7 .652
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 6 14.7 1.7 1.5 1.7 3.2 0.3 0.0 1.2 0.2 1.5 0.7 0.8 .800 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.3 1.000
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2009-102011-12
Team Miami HeatOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement Sixth Man of the Year
Playoffs Heat Lost East Conf 1st RdThunder Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 80 16.5 2.7 1.5 1.6 3.1 0.2 0.3 1.4 0.6 2.0 1.0 2.0 .478 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.2 .717
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 5 15.8 2.6 1.2 0.6 1.8 0.2 0.4 1.0 0.2 1.8 1.0 1.4 .714 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 0.8 .750
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2010-112012-13
Team Miami HeatHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Heat Lost NBA FinalsRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 75 19.5 2.0 1.4 2.2 3.5 0.3 0.1 1.2 0.5 2.6 0.7 1.3 .535 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 1.0 .644
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 21 27.4 2.8 1.7 3.0 4.6 0.5 0.4 1.8 0.6 2.6 0.9 2.3 .367 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 1.5 .710
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2011-122013-14
Team Miami HeatHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 64 21.1 3.4 1.6 2.3 3.9 0.1 0.6 1.3 0.7 2.0 1.3 2.4 .559 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.1 .690
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 17 19.4 3.2 1.3 1.9 3.2 0.1 0.3 0.9 0.5 2.4 1.0 1.7 .586 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.5 .800
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2012-132014-15
Team Miami HeatHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 62 9.1 1.4 0.7 1.1 1.9 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.4 0.8 0.6 1.1 .515 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.5 .607
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 14 5.1 0.4 0.7 0.8 1.5 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.9 0.2 0.7 .300 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2013-142015-16
Team Miami Heat, Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 33 5.6 0.8 0.5 0.7 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.4 1.0 .375 0.0 0.0 - 0.1 0.2 .500
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2014-152016-17
Team Detroit PistonsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 49 8.3 1.8 0.7 1.2 1.9 0.1 0.2 1.0 0.2 1.1 0.7 1.3 .581 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.4 .682
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2015-162017-18
Team Detroit PistonsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 19 5.1 0.9 0.4 0.7 1.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.8 0.3 0.5 .600 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.4 .750
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season 2016-172018-19
Team San Antonio SpursHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Spurs Lost West Conf FinalsRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 19 6.4 1.3 0.4 1.2 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.5 0.8 .625 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.4 .625
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony 3 5.0 2.0 0.7 0.7 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.7 0.3 0.7 1.0 1.3 .750 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.3 .000
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season -2019-20
Team -Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Rockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season -2020-21
Team -Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Nets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season -2021-22
Team -Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Season 14

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season -2022-23
Team -Philadelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Assists Leader
Playoffs -76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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 TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
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

Season 15

Joel Anthony James Harden
Season -2023-24
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
James Harden 72 34.3 16.6 0.5 4.7 5.1 8.5 1.1 0.8 2.6 1.8 4.9 11.4 .428 2.6 6.8 .381 4.2 4.8 .878
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Joel Anthony ------- --- ----------
James Harden 6 40.3 21.2 0.5 4.0 4.5 8.0 1.0 1.0 2.3 2.2 6.7 14.8 .449 3.0 7.8 .383 4.8 5.3 .906