Better Houston Rockets player: James Harden or Tracy McGrady?

Passing

Harden is also a much better passer, as he’s averaged 7.7 assists per game, compared to McGrady’s 5.6 assist averages. In fact, Harden led the league in assists during the 2016-17 season, as he averaged 11.2 assists per game, while McGrady never averaged more than 6.5 assists per game during his Houston Rockets career.

Harden has finished inside of the top seven in the league in total assists during each season dating back to the 2014-15 season, which is impressive considering the fact that this is the first year in which he’s been surrounded with a 20-point scorer since he’s arrived in Houston.

On the flip side, McGrady played alongside Yao during his entire time with the Houston Rockets, and Yao averaged 20+ points in three consecutive seasons. In fact, Yao actually outscored McGrady in two of those three seasons. Contrarily, Harden has never failed to lead the Rockets in scoring during any of his eight seasons in Houston, which makes it even more impressive how he’s been able to rack up the assist numbers so easily.

This is the first season since the 2013-14 season in which Harden has been surrounded with an All-Star, yet he’s fared significantly better than T-Mac as a facilitator.

Advantage: James Harden

Next: Playoffs