Harden vs Giannis: Player of the Decade

Pros for Harden over Antetokounmpo Player of the Decade

A longer period of dominance

When comparing the two-player continuous dominance its not much of a debate on this topic. Even with Antetokounmpo’s recent stellar play, Harden has been among the elite player for several years. Going back to 2014-2015 Harden has been in the MVP conversation and every year since has been in the running winning it in 2017-2018. Antetokounmpo dominance started two years ago and has continued since but Harden has been leading the Rockets since coming to Houston over seven years ago.

Already being considered an all-time great offensive player

Harden’s offensive dominance in recent years has seen him elevated to greats like Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kobe Bryant. Harden not only leads the league this decade in scoring he also just became the Rockets all-time assist leader. There is a legitimate debate if Harden is the greatest isolation scorer in NBA history. That is high praise and not easily attainable when you consider the number of great offensive players. Even though Antetokounmpo offense has improved leaps and bounds since his rookie year he cant come close to Harden offensive dominance.

Changing the game

When a player forces teams to completely change their defensive identity just to stop that player he is changing the game. Teams have resorted to double-teaming Harden in the backcourt because of his dominance. Current players are imitating Harden moves and his overall game. Harden has made an impact league-wide on and off the court.

Pros for Antetokunmpo over Harden

Dominance on defense

Harden’s defense has improved over the years from an internet joke to above average but it still doesn’t compare to Antetokounmpo. Even though he hasn’t won defensive player of the year Antetokounmpo has been dominating on defense the last few years. For the last two years, Antetokounmpo has been near the top of the best defenders in the league. This year he has a legitimate shot at winning defensive player of the year.

Less Dependent on the 3-point shot

Harden is shooting a historic number of 3-pointers a game but only shooting 36 percent from downtown. Antetokounmpo isn’t much of a 3-point shooter but is dominant in the paint. Once he is inside the lane there arent players who can stop him from scoring inside. Antetokounmpo is currently shooting .554 from the field which is the second-best of his career. When you are scoring over 30 points a game that type of percentage is impressive.

Prediction

Antetokounmpo is a top-three player in the league right now. Possibly on his way to another MVP but Harden has dominated for several years now. This matchup will be closer for Harden than the first round but in the end, Harden should come out on top and move on to the next round.