James Harden
2009–10 to 2025–26 · 17 seasons · active
NBA player comparison
James Harden vs. Kawhi Leonard: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
James Harden ranks higher in career impact so far
Kawhi Leonard
2011–12 to 2025–26 · 14 seasons · active
Impact comparison
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Higher is better. Career ranks and average league finishes work the other way: lower is better.
#20LeadsCareer Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#35
+10.3LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+8.9
+9.0LeadsBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+7.8
1.3LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better3.3
2LeadsSeasons ranked No. 10
+6,560 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+4,051 pts
Career Impact Rank places James Harden #20 and Kawhi Leonard #35. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedJames Harden2.747 · No. 20Kawhi Leonard4.827 · No. 35
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
James Harden
2.747 composite · No. 20 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 12017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.333 | 50% | 0.667 |
| Best 5No. 12017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 2.400 | 30% | 0.720 |
| Best 10No. 12017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 12018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 22019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 92020–21No. 142013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 202022–23 | 6.800 | 20% | 1.360 |
0.667 + 0.720 + 1.360= 2.747
Kawhi Leonard
4.827 composite · No. 35 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 32016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 32025–26No. 42015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.333 | 50% | 1.667 |
| Best 5No. 32016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 32025–26No. 42015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 5.000 | 30% | 1.500 |
| Best 10No. 32016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 32025–26No. 42015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 112023–24No. 122020–21No. 122022–23No. 132013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 8.300 | 20% | 1.660 |
1.667 + 1.500 + 1.660= 4.827
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank | #20Better result for this metric. | #35 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 1.3Better result for this metric. | 3.3 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 2.4Better result for this metric. | 5.0 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 6.8Better result for this metric. | 8.3 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #11Better result for this metric. | #44 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +10.3Better result for this metric. | +8.9 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +9.5Better result for this metric. | +8.3 |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +9.0Better result for this metric. | +7.8 |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +7.2Better result for this metric. | +6.6 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +6,560 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +4,051 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 2Better result for this metric. | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 5Better result for this metric. | 3 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 8Better result for this metric. | 6 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,221 | 798 |
| Minutes | 42,449 | 25,368 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 60.8%Better result for this metric. | 60.7% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 61.2%Better result for this metric. | 60.9% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 43.9% | 49.9%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | 36.4% | 39.1%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 86.3% | 86.3% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 38.2%Better result for this metric. | 18.1% |
| Assists per game | 7.3Better result for this metric. | 3.1 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 15.7% | 8.9%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 9.3% | 11.3%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 5.6 | 6.4Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 2.2% | 2.7%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.5% | 1.6%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | James Harden | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 24.0Better result for this metric. | 20.7 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
James Harden ranks higher in career impact so far.
James HardenMetricKawhi Leonard
#20LeadsCareer Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#35
+10.3LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+8.9
+9.0LeadsBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+7.8
+6,560 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+4,051 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
The advantages are split across the available measures.
James HardenMetricKawhi Leonard
974LeadsListed-team regular-season wins741
61.1%Listed-team winning percentage66.6%Leads
12Leads50-win team seasons9
160-win team seasons3Leads
18LeadsPlayoff team seasons13
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
The advantages are split across the available measures.
James HardenMetricKawhi Leonard
17LeadsPlayoff appearances12
191LeadsPlayoff games146
99LeadsTeam playoff wins97
1Finals appearances3Leads
0Championships2Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
The advantages are split across the available measures.
James HardenMetricKawhi Leonard
11LeadsAll-Star7
1LeadsMVP0
8LeadsAll-NBA7
0All-Defense7Leads
0DPOY2Leads
0Rookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
James HardenKawhi LeonardPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Career to date. Active careers stop at the latest completed season; no future seasons are projected.
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
James HardenNBA seasonKawhi Leonard
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 15
No season
Season 16
No season
Season 17
No season
Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.