One of the best shooting guards and backcourts to have been seen in the league, and considered one of the most interesting debates on which has had the greater impact during their prime eras.
In the previous months, three-time champion Dwayne Wade discussed the comparison between himself and James Harden.
“It’s going to be a lot of arguments about ‘Oh, he’s better because he scored more points. Oh, he’s better because I like his game better. He’s better because he won more rings.’ This conversation never goes anywhere… Winning a ring, it’s a whole different game than being a great player and having stats. I could have more stats if I didn’t care about winning a ring,” Wade said on the Time Out podcast.
Meanwhile, the conversation has been reopened by Kevin Durant during his exclusive interview on the Unguarded podcast.
“That 1st title Dwyane Wade won and the way he did it was insane. Everything was downhill, pick & roll to the cup, I’m scoring tonight. Who that sound like? James Harden. Harden played that same style, but didn’t have that moment that D. Wade had. Pat Riley, the Miami Heat organization…. a lot had to work in D. Wade’s favor for him to win that championship. I feel like they’re both winning players. D. Wade didn’t have to do as much for his last 2 championships.”
Wade’s career rose during the postseason successes with the Miami Heat, earning multiple championships in two different eras.
He had been part of a championship team with Shaquille O’Neal in 2006 and the prominent Big Three with LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2012 and 2013.
The Heat legend is also known for his defensive mechanics, which is one of the arguments that contradicts Harden’s capabilities and their impact on a team.
However, the offensive individual aspect of Harden could be incomparable to Wade’s, due to his craftiness in scoring that led him to win a season MVP award.
The MVP also won three scoring titles from 2017 to 2020.
Ultimately, the two shooting guards may have been involved in many arguments, but one thing that is factual is that they were wizards in their position both offensively and defensively.
