James Harden had one of the best seasons we ever saw in 2018 when he won the NBA MVP title. The Beard averaged 40-plus points per contest during a 32 game stretch in the 2018-19 campaign, and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey boldly claimed that Harden is a better scorer than legendary Michael Jordan.
“It’s just factual that James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan,” Morey told Matthew Haag on “Selfmade with Nadeshot.” “You give James Harden the ball, and before you’re giving up the ball, how many points you generate, which is how you should measure offense… James Harden is by far number one in NBA history.”
Rockets GM Daryl Morey insists James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan: "It's just factual" https://t.co/pvEVnJFUSu
— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) August 16, 2019
However, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles during his stint with the franchise while Harden is still without a Larry O’Brien trophy with the Rockets. But Morey is sure that Harden is capable of generating more points than Jordan did with the Bulls.
“And he was number one even at the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Morey added. “But he was coming off the bench, it was a little more hidden.”
Morey is well aware that there will be a counter-argument to his point, and he accepts that it is hard to compare the two eras. He still remains firm about his statement believes it is a fact if one takes the numbers Harden puts up every season into consideration.
“The counter-argument is reasonable,” Morey said. “They say if you put Michael Jordan on a team now, he would do more than James Harden. That’s possible. But if you’re just saying… NBA history, if you give this guy the ball, ‘How much does his team score after you give him the ball before the other team gets the ball?’, it’s James Harden. And I know that makes people mad, but it’s literally a fact.”
Daryl Morey joined @100Thieves dropping truth bombs on why Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan. https://t.co/lcd88Fly9w
— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) August 15, 2019
