Harden vs. Westbrook

[His Greatness]

Who is the better player?

[DunkinDerozan]

Westbrook is one of my favourite players, but I have to say I'd take Harden over Westbrook

[Alpha 4]

Harden. At least he passes.

[moeroadkill]

Harden. At least he passes.

5.7-8.1

Yep.

[Check my Stats]

Always was and always will be Harden.

[Real Deal]

Harden is proving to everyone that he is a legitimate primary scoring option for a playoff team...and while Westbrook hasn't had the opportunity to do that, he also struggles scoring as a second option next to the best scorer in the NBA, Kevin Durant, so it's tough for me to sit here and assume he could be that guy.
 

Both aren't elite defenders, but are good, so I'm not going to dive into the defensive end of the court.  Westbrook gambles, Harden will sometimes play a guy too close OR give him too much space.

 

Dipping into their offensive abilities, both pass the ball...Westbrook just doesn't make the right decisions late in games, and it does hurt the Thunder.  Harden is a better shooter, and gets to the line so damn much, you really have to give him the edge.

 

So, for this season and possibly later in their careers, it's Harden.  Westbrook has room to grow, though, and I truly think he could have learned a LOT from Jason Kidd, if the vet had made the decision to come to OKC instead of New York.

[Dash]

Harden is proving to everyone that he is a legitimate primary scoring option for a playoff team...and while Westbrook hasn't had the opportunity to do that, he also struggles scoring as a second option next to the best scorer in the NBA, Kevin Durant, so it's tough for me to sit here and assume he could be that guy.

 

Both aren't elite defenders, but are good, so I'm not going to dive into the defensive end of the court.  Westbrook gambles, Harden will sometimes play a guy too close OR give him too much space.

 

Dipping into their offensive abilities, both pass the ball...Westbrook just doesn't make the right decisions late in games, and it does hurt the Thunder.  Harden is a better shooter, and gets to the line so damn much, you really have to give him the edge.

 

So, for this season and possibly later in their careers, it's Harden.  Westbrook has room to grow, though, and I truly think he could have learned a LOT from Jason Kidd, if the vet had made the decision to come to OKC instead of New York.

 

Adding on to this, check out these stats per Zach Lowe:

 

 

 

The Rockets average a league-high 29 drives per game, with STATS defining “drive” as any time a player dribbles the ball from at least 20 feet away from the basket into an area within 10 feet of the rim. Drives do not include fast breaks, meaning transition chances don’t inflate the insane numbers Houston and Denver are putting up.

 

The average team “drives” about 20 times per game, and the STATS numbers show teams generally score more efficiently on any possession in which a qualifying drive happens at any moment than they do in general.

 

Harden averages nine drives per game, which is fourth among players whose teams have the cameras. The top four: Tony Parker (10.8), Rajon Rondo (10.1), Russell Westbrook (9.3), and Jrue Holiday (9.2). As an aside, that Holiday number is a fantastically good sign for Philly. He ranked below average by this metric last season, and he’s piling up about twice as many drives per game this season, according to the 2011-12 data I’ve reviewed. Philly is still below average as a team in drives per game, which tells you how much heavy lifting Holiday is doing for a very limited bunch.

 

Back to Harden: Houston is scoring 1.51 points per possession on trips in which he drives at any time in the shot clock. That is easily the highest mark among all players in the 15-team database with more than a token number of drives. It is a mammoth number; keep in mind, teams average just about one point per possession overall. Harden has drawn a foul on one-third of his drives, which is among the highest numbers in the data set, and sort of amazing when you think about it.

 

Jeremy Lin is averaging 8.1 drives per game, ninth among all players, and even though he’s having a disappointing season, the Rockets are scoring 1.32 points per possession when Lin drives — about what the Spurs have scored on Parker drive possessions.

 

In other words: There is some merit to the idea of telling guys, “Put your head down, get to the paint, and make a play — any damn play,” especially if the team has skilled 3-point shooters and good passers driving the ball. The punishment will likely be a lot of turnovers, and Carlos Delfino, more empowered to drive in Houston than he might be elsewhere, indeed ranks among the most turnover-prone drivers so far.

 

And what of Harden? He has turned over the ball on just 4 percent of his drives, one of the lowest numbers in the data set. The dude is scary. These numbers paint him as even more valuable than we might think.

 

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/50343/the-height-of-wonkery-an-in-depth-look-at-the-nba-with-the-most-innovative-technology-available

[ChosenOne]

Offense i would give it to Harden as he is better at shooting, getting to the line, and attacking the rim (maybe a bit homer here).

 

Defensively I feel they both are equal as Brandon mentioned Westbrook gambels alot and Hardns plays more man to man.

 

And the biggest factor for me is player IQ, in which Harden is well above Westbrook.

[Sħãlïq™]

Harden all day every day!

[Finch23]

Harden and its not close. Shitbrick is over rated as [expletive].

[The Regime]

I would have said Westbrook at the end of last season. But it's hard not to pick Harden now that he has thrived in a starting role. He's a better overall playmaker and more efficient scorer. I'd give Westbrook the edge defensively, but not by a whole lot. Harden is the guy right now, but Westbrook has plenty of time to round his game out more.