Paolo Banchero vs. James Harden: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of James Harden and Paolo Banchero to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
James Harden and Paolo Banchero have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history (James Harden is also one of the all-time leaders in total points) and here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that James Harden scored more points both in the regular season and Playoffs and also has better season average while Paolo Banchero has a better scoring average in the postseason. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 17 NBA regular seasons played, James Harden averages 1.6 points more than Paolo Banchero in his 4 seasons (24.0 points against 22.4), and he also scored a total of 23,225 points more (27,772 vs. 4,547).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Paolo Banchero | 22.4 | 4 | |
| James Harden | 24.0 | +1.6 | 17 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Paolo Banchero | 4,547 | 4 | |
| James Harden | 27,772 | +23,225 | 17 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Paolo Banchero | 0 | |
| James Harden | 3 |  +3 |
Points in the Playoffs
In the NBA postseason Paolo Banchero has a better career point average than James Harden (+5.5 points per game) while James Harden scored more points (+3,559).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Paolo Banchero | 28.0 | +5.5 | 2 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 16 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Paolo Banchero | 336 | 2 | |
| James Harden | 3,895 | +3,559 | 16 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 4 | +4 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 133 | |||
| James Harden | 739 | +606 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 195 | |||
| James Harden | 1,057 | +862 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 203 | |||
| James Harden | 1,154 | +951 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 1 | +1 | ||
Playoffs
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 11 | +11 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 10 | |||
| James Harden | 101 | +91 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 11 | |||
| James Harden | 155 | +144 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 12 | |||
| James Harden | 170 | +158 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 3 | +3 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 22.4 | 7.7 | 17.4 | 44.4 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 31.7 | 5.5 | 7.6 | 73.1 | 4 | 203 |
| difference: | +1.6 | +0.6 | +1.2 | +0.5 | +1.4 | +3.0 | +4.6 | +1.6 | +0.6 | +13.1 | +13 | +952 |
| James Harden | 24.0 | 7.1 | 16.2 | 43.9 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 36.3 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 86.2 | 17 | 1,155 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 4,547 | 1,566 | 3,527 | 44.4 | 294 | 927 | 31.7 | 1,121 | 1,534 | 73.1 | 4 | 203 |
| difference: | +23,225 | +6,633 | +15,134 | +0.5 | +2,891 | +7,851 | +4.6 | +7,068 | +7,971 | +13.1 | +13 | +952 |
| James Harden | 27,772 | 8,199 | 18,661 | 43.9 | 3,185 | 8,778 | 36.3 | 8,189 | 9,505 | 86.2 | 17 | 1,155 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 28.0 | 10.2 | 22.8 | 44.7 | 2.3 | 5.6 | 41.8 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 71.1 | 2 | 12 |
| difference: | +5.5 | +3.4 | +6.8 | +2.2 | +0.2 | +1.8 | +7.8 | +1.1 | +0.1 | +15.8 | +14 | +161 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 6.8 | 16.0 | 42.5 | 2.5 | 7.4 | 34.0 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Paolo Banchero | 336 | 122 | 273 | 44.7 | 28 | 67 | 41.8 | 64 | 90 | 71.1 | 2 | 12 |
| difference: | +3,559 | +1,051 | +2,487 | +2.2 | +406 | +1,208 | +7.8 | +1,051 | +1,193 | +15.8 | +14 | +161 |
| James Harden | 3,895 | 1,173 | 2,760 | 42.5 | 434 | 1,275 | 34.0 | 1,115 | 1,283 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring LeaderRegular Season
James Harden's additional seasons: | ||||
* James Harden played 13 seasons more than Paolo Banchero in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 5 to 17, from 2014 to 2026—he averaged 26.8 points in a total of 857 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 36.1 ppg and his lowest 16.6. In those 13 extra years over Paolo Banchero, James Harden won 3 scoring titles. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Paolo Banchero | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| James Harden | 7.7 | +7.7 | 2010 | 6 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Paolo Banchero | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| James Harden | 26.3 | +26.3 | 2013 | 6 |
| * season in progress | ||||
James Harden's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 13 additional NBA seasons, James Harden played in 12 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 25.4 points in a total of 124 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 31.6 ppg and his lowest 18.6. |