Houston Rockets: Detailing why it’s unfair to compare Jordan vs. Harden

2 of 8

James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets shoots a technical foul free throw during the first quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Jordan vs. Harden: Free Throw Shooting

Harden is brilliant at initiating contact and drawing fouls, as he’s led the league in free throws for the last 5 straight seasons and in 6 of the last 7 years. Jordan led the league in free throws attempted once over his 15 year career.

In fact, Harden has already attempted 6536 free throws in 10 years, as opposed to Jordan who attempted 8772 over his entire career. This is not to say Jordan wouldn’t have thrived at getting to the line, but Jordan wasn’t getting the same foul calls as Harden because the game was officiated much differently back then.

Jordan got physically beat up by the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons, which would NEVER happen in the NBA today. It’s quite possible that Jordan would have gotten just as many foul calls as Harden, if they were being called the way they are today. But it’s unfair because it’s neither Jordan nor Harden’s fault when they played in the league.

Next: Three Point Shooting