Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. James Harden: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of James Harden and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and James Harden 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 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while James Harden scored more total points in both stages. 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 8 NBA regular seasons played, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 0.6 points more than James Harden in his 17 seasons (24.6 points against 24.0). On the other hand James Harden scored a total of 16,297 points more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27,796 vs. 11,499).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 24.6 | +0.6 | 8 |
| James Harden | 24.0 | 17 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 11,499 | 8 | |
| James Harden | 27,796 | +16,297 | 17 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 1 |  |
| James Harden | 3 | +2 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a better career point average than James Harden (+3.3 points per game) while James Harden scored more points (+2,709).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 25.8 | +3.3 | 4 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 16 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 1,186 | 4 | |
| James Harden | 3,895 | +2,709 | 16 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 4 | +4 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 319 | |||
| James Harden | 740 | +421 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 427 | |||
| James Harden | 1,058 | +631 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 466 | |||
| James Harden | 1,155 | +689 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 2 | +1 | ||
| James Harden | 1 | |||
Playoffs
20+ Point Games | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 34 | |||
| James Harden | 101 | +67 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 41 | |||
| James Harden | 155 | +114 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 46 | |||
| James Harden | 170 | +124 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 3 | +3 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 24.6 | 8.6 | 17.1 | 50.1 | 1.3 | 3.8 | 35.4 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 86.2 | 8 | 468 |
| difference: | +0.6 | +1.5 | +0.9 | +6.2 | +1.5 | +3.8 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +9 | +688 | |
| James Harden | 24.0 | 7.1 | 16.2 | 43.9 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 36.3 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 86.2 | 17 | 1,156 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 11,499 | 4,017 | 8,014 | 50.1 | 624 | 1,765 | 35.4 | 2,841 | 3,297 | 86.2 | 8 | 468 |
| difference: | +16,297 | +4,190 | +10,666 | +6.2 | +2,565 | +7,026 | +0.9 | +5,352 | +6,213 | +9 | +688 | |
| James Harden | 27,796 | 8,207 | 18,680 | 43.9 | 3,189 | 8,791 | 36.3 | 8,193 | 9,510 | 86.2 | 17 | 1,156 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 25.8 | 8.9 | 19.1 | 46.8 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 35.0 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 85.9 | 4 | 46 |
| difference: | +3.3 | +2.1 | +3.1 | +4.3 | +1.0 | +3.0 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +12 | +127 | ||
| 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 | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 1,186 | 411 | 878 | 46.8 | 71 | 203 | 35.0 | 293 | 341 | 85.9 | 4 | 46 |
| difference: | +2,709 | +762 | +1,882 | +4.3 | +363 | +1,072 | +1.0 | +822 | +942 | +1.0 | +12 | +127 |
| 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 Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
James Harden's additional seasons: | ||||
* James Harden played 11 seasons more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 9 to 19, from 2018 to 2026—he averaged 25.4 points in a total of 671 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 36.1 ppg and his lowest 16.6. In those 11 extra years over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden won 3 scoring titles. |
Playoffs
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| James Harden | 16.3 | +16.3 | 2012 | 20 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| James Harden | 26.3 | +26.3 | 2013 | 6 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| James Harden | 26.8 | +26.8 | 2014 | 6 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| James Harden | 28.5 | +28.5 | 2017 | 11 |
| * season in progress | ||||
James Harden's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 11 additional NBA seasons, James Harden played in 10 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 23.1 points in a total of 109 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 31.6 ppg and his lowest 18.6. |