Hosting the Nuggets at the Intuit Dome, James Harden put his best foot forward and in turn, gave us his best performance as a Clipper. He seemed to have rolled back the years, scoring 39 points, to go along with his 11 rebounds and nine assists. Harden led the Clippers to a 126-122 win over reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and co. Retired guard Jeff Teague was in awe of the former MVP’s All-Star-level form and claimed it was time to recognize him as the third-best shooting guard of all time.
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On the Club 520 Podcast, the former Bucks star lauded Harden for keeping the Clippers afloat this season. With Paul George and Russell Westbrook leaving the franchise in the offseason, and Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely, the Clippers were expected to be among the worst teams in the West. Instead, they are 13-9, thanks to the 35-year-old’s stellar performances, and sixth in the standings.
Teague believes Harden’s two-season All-Star appearance drought should end this season, before making a bold claim about his place on the all-time shooting guard rankings. He said,
“[Harden’s] the third-best 2-guard in my book… How old is he? 35? Go and see what D-Wade was doing at 35.”
Dwayne Wade’s age-35 season was his last an impactful player. He averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.8 rebounds on a Bulls team that finished 41-41. The following season, he had a short-lived reunion with LeBron James in Cleveland. He re-joined the Heat midway through the season and spent his final 18 months in the league with the team that drafted him in 2003.
According to Teague, and anyone with a semblance of experience watching the NBA, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are the top two shooting guards ever. The rest of the greats are battling for the third spot, which has been Wade’s since his retirement in 2019. However, for Teague, Harden has usurped the Heat icon with his longevity. It’s a hot take, but it has no legs.
Harden’s career isn’t better than Wade’s but he has been exceptional this season
Wade has more All-Star appearances and All-NBA nods than Harden. The Hall of Famer has three All-Defensive Team selections, while the Clippers superstar has none. The latter has an MVP award and is a more accomplished player offensively, but he’ll gladly swap it for the retired guard’s three titles, and one Finals MVP.
Harden needs to continue balling out for a few more years and add a title or two to his resume to even be in the conversation for the third spot on the list of the greatest shooting guards. However, those requirements shouldn’t take away from the career renaissance he’s enjoying this season.
The 35-year-old is averaging 22.3 points, 8.9 assists, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. He’s the lynchpin of the offense and the team’s primary ball-handler. Harden makes the Clippers tick. The franchise will be grateful that he hasn’t missed a single game this season.
He has helped them remain competitive when the consensus was the floor would fall off in LA in the team’s debut year in their new home, the Intuit Arena. Usurping Wade from the third spot on the list of the greatest shooting guards is farfetched. But earning a 10th All-Star guard and eighth All-NBA nod is in the realms of possibility, perhaps even guaranteed if he can sustain his strong start to the season.
