James Harden continued his early season tear after dropping 44 points in their 111-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers. That puts him at 464 points total on the season.
That particular point total puts him at third on the most points scored through the first 12 games of any season, per NBA Stats. Harden trails just Wilt Chamberlain, who holds the top two spots on that specific historic list.
James Harden has played 12 games this season. The most points scored through a player’s first 12 games of any season:
1962 – Wilt Chamberlain – 623
1961 – Wilt Chamberlain – 573
2019 – James Harden – 464
1964 – Wilt Chamberlain – 456
1966 – Rick Barry – 455 pic.twitter.com/XG4ETShlde— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) November 16, 2019
James Harden continues to join these insane scoring records and is slowly entering the conversation as one of the best scorers in NBA history.
Through 12 games, Harden is averaging an insane 38.7 points per game on 42 percent shooting from the field, 32.7 percent from deep, and 88.5 percent from the freethow line (on over 15 FTA per game).
Earlier in the season, Harden’s shooting percentages were absolutely horrible. His first six games of the season saw him convert just 37.1 percent from the field and a disgusting 21.7 percent from three (on over 13 3PA per game).
But over the last six, all Rockets wins, Harden has been En Fuego. The 2017-18 MVP is averaging 42.0 points on significantly better shooting percentages – 46.5 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from three.
After dropping two straight and going 3-3 to start the season, the Rockets have rattled off six straight victories. Majority of their success so far can be attributed to Harden’s inspired play.
It seems like Russell Westbrook’s addition will not affect Harden’s touches or shot attempts at all this season. With that said, we might just see a repeat of The Beard’s insane 2018-19 scoring campaign last year. Or perhaps, we might just see one better.
The post James Harden trails Wilt Chamberlain with most points scored in the 1st 12 games of season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
