James Harden vs. Jameer Nelson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jameer Nelson and James Harden, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Games against each other

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

James Harden played 15 years in the NBA, 1 more than Jameer Nelson, who played 14. James Harden had the first of his seasons in 2009-10, while Jameer Nelson had his rookie season in 2004-05. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player		 Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
James Harden 15 15 2009-10 to 2023-24
Jameer Nelson 14 6 2004-05 to 2017-18

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15

Rookie Season
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2009-102004-05
Team Oklahoma City ThunderOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie Second TeamAchievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Thunder Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 76 22.9 9.9 0.6 2.6 3.2 1.8 1.1 0.3 1.4 2.6 3.1 7.6 .403 1.2 3.3 .375 2.6 3.2 .808
Jameer Nelson 79 20.4 8.7 0.7 1.8 2.4 3.0 1.0 0.0 1.5 2.5 3.6 7.9 .455 0.6 1.8 .312 0.9 1.4 .682
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 20.0 7.7 0.2 2.3 2.5 1.8 1.0 0.2 0.5 2.3 2.0 5.2 .387 1.0 2.7 .375 2.7 3.2 .842
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 2
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2010-112005-06
Team Oklahoma City ThunderOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Thunder Lost West Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 82 26.7 12.2 0.5 2.6 3.1 2.1 1.1 0.3 1.3 2.5 3.6 8.3 .436 1.4 4.0 .349 3.5 4.2 .843
Jameer Nelson 62 28.8 14.6 0.6 2.3 2.9 4.9 1.1 0.1 2.4 2.8 5.6 11.6 .483 1.1 2.7 .424 2.3 2.9 .779
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 17 31.6 13.0 0.6 4.8 5.4 3.6 1.2 0.8 1.6 2.8 3.9 8.2 .475 1.4 4.5 .303 3.9 4.7 .825
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 3
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2011-122006-07
Team Oklahoma City ThunderOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
Playoffs Thunder Lost NBA FinalsMagic Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 62 31.4 16.8 0.5 3.6 4.1 3.7 1.0 0.2 2.2 2.4 5.0 10.1 .491 1.8 4.7 .390 5.0 6.0 .846
Jameer Nelson 77 30.3 13.0 0.6 2.4 3.1 4.3 0.9 0.1 2.4 2.9 4.9 11.4 .430 0.8 2.5 .335 2.4 2.9 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 20 31.5 16.3 0.7 4.5 5.1 3.4 1.6 0.1 2.1 3.4 4.7 10.7 .435 1.6 3.9 .410 5.4 6.3 .857
Jameer Nelson 4 32.3 14.3 1.0 2.0 3.0 3.3 0.8 0.0 2.3 4.8 5.3 12.5 .420 1.3 3.5 .357 2.5 2.8 .909

Season 4
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2012-132007-08
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdMagic Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 78 38.3 25.9 0.8 4.1 4.9 5.8 1.8 0.5 3.8 2.3 7.5 17.1 .438 2.3 6.2 .368 8.6 10.2 .851
Jameer Nelson 69 28.4 10.9 0.4 3.1 3.5 5.6 0.9 0.1 2.0 2.4 4.1 8.7 .469 0.9 2.2 .416 1.8 2.2 .828
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 40.5 26.3 0.8 5.8 6.7 4.5 2.0 1.0 4.5 3.0 7.5 19.2 .391 2.5 7.3 .341 8.8 11.0 .803
Jameer Nelson 10 33.3 16.2 0.4 3.7 4.1 4.7 0.3 0.2 2.1 4.3 5.7 11.3 .504 2.0 4.1 .488 2.8 3.7 .757

Season 5
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2013-142008-09
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdMagic Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 73 38.0 25.4 0.8 3.9 4.7 6.1 1.6 0.4 3.6 2.4 7.5 16.5 .456 2.4 6.6 .366 7.9 9.1 .866
Jameer Nelson 42 31.2 16.7 0.5 3.0 3.5 5.4 1.2 0.1 2.0 2.9 6.4 12.6 .503 2.0 4.3 .453 2.0 2.3 .887
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 43.8 26.8 0.8 3.8 4.7 5.8 2.0 0.2 3.5 3.5 8.3 22.2 .376 2.7 9.0 .296 7.5 8.3 .900
Jameer Nelson 5 18.0 3.8 0.2 1.2 1.4 2.8 0.2 0.0 1.4 0.6 1.6 4.6 .348 0.2 1.2 .167 0.4 0.8 .500

Season 6
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2014-152009-10
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf FinalsMagic Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 81 36.8 27.4 0.9 4.7 5.7 7.0 1.9 0.7 4.0 2.6 8.0 18.1 .440 2.6 6.9 .375 8.8 10.2 .868
Jameer Nelson 65 28.6 12.6 0.4 2.6 3.0 5.4 0.7 0.0 2.1 2.3 4.9 10.9 .449 1.3 3.5 .381 1.5 1.8 .845
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 17 37.4 27.2 0.7 5.0 5.7 7.5 1.6 0.4 4.5 2.9 7.6 17.3 .439 2.4 6.3 .383 9.6 10.5 .916
Jameer Nelson 14 34.2 19.0 0.6 2.9 3.6 4.8 1.0 0.0 2.5 2.7 6.5 13.6 .479 2.4 6.0 .393 3.6 4.4 .823

Season 7
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2015-162010-11
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdMagic Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 82 38.1 29.0 0.8 5.3 6.1 7.5 1.7 0.6 4.6 2.8 8.7 19.7 .439 2.9 8.0 .359 8.8 10.2 .860
Jameer Nelson 76 30.5 13.1 0.5 2.5 3.0 6.0 1.0 0.0 2.6 2.8 4.9 11.0 .446 1.6 3.9 .401 1.7 2.1 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 5 38.6 26.6 1.4 3.8 5.2 7.6 2.4 0.2 5.2 2.6 8.2 20.0 .410 2.6 8.4 .310 7.6 9.0 .844
Jameer Nelson 6 36.0 13.2 1.2 3.0 4.2 5.0 2.0 0.0 1.3 2.3 5.2 13.7 .378 1.0 4.3 .231 1.8 2.3 .786

Season 8
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2016-172011-12
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisMagic Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 81 36.4 29.1 1.2 7.0 8.1 11.2 1.5 0.5 5.7 2.7 8.3 18.9 .440 3.2 9.3 .347 9.2 10.9 .847
Jameer Nelson 57 29.9 11.9 0.5 2.7 3.2 5.7 0.7 0.1 2.4 2.3 4.5 10.6 .427 1.5 4.1 .377 1.2 1.5 .807
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 11 37.0 28.5 0.6 4.8 5.5 8.5 1.9 0.5 5.4 3.9 8.2 19.8 .413 2.9 10.5 .278 9.2 10.5 .878
Jameer Nelson 5 36.4 15.6 0.2 3.6 3.8 6.6 0.8 0.2 2.0 2.6 5.8 14.8 .392 1.6 5.0 .320 2.4 3.2 .750

Season 9
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2017-182012-13
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 72 35.4 30.4 0.6 4.8 5.4 8.8 1.8 0.7 4.4 2.3 9.0 20.1 .449 3.7 10.0 .367 8.7 10.1 .858
Jameer Nelson 56 35.3 14.7 0.4 3.3 3.7 7.4 1.3 0.1 2.8 2.9 5.5 13.9 .392 2.2 6.3 .341 1.6 1.8 .873
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 17 36.5 28.6 0.8 4.4 5.2 6.8 2.2 0.6 3.8 2.7 9.3 22.6 .410 3.1 10.2 .299 6.9 7.8 .887
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 10
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2018-192013-14
Team Houston RocketsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 78 36.8 36.1 0.8 5.8 6.6 7.5 2.0 0.7 5.0 3.1 10.8 24.5 .442 4.8 13.2 .368 9.7 11.0 .879
Jameer Nelson 68 32.0 12.1 0.4 3.0 3.4 7.0 0.8 0.1 2.4 2.1 4.3 11.0 .394 2.0 5.8 .348 1.4 1.6 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 11 38.5 31.6 0.8 6.0 6.8 6.6 2.2 0.9 4.6 3.7 9.9 24.0 .413 4.4 12.5 .350 7.5 8.9 .837
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 11
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2019-202014-15
Team Houston RocketsDallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 68 36.5 34.3 1.0 5.5 6.6 7.5 1.8 0.9 4.5 3.3 9.9 22.3 .444 4.4 12.4 .355 10.2 11.8 .865
Jameer Nelson 63 22.3 8.3 0.5 1.8 2.3 4.0 0.7 0.1 1.7 2.2 3.3 8.0 .407 1.4 4.1 .345 0.4 0.6 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 12 37.3 29.6 1.0 4.6 5.6 7.7 1.5 0.8 3.8 3.6 9.1 19.0 .478 3.3 9.8 .333 8.2 9.7 .845
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 12
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2020-212015-16
Team Houston Rockets, Brooklyn NetsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Nets Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 44 36.6 24.6 0.8 7.1 7.9 10.8 1.2 0.8 4.0 2.3 7.8 16.7 .466 2.8 7.6 .362 6.3 7.3 .861
Jameer Nelson 39 26.6 7.7 0.5 2.5 2.9 4.9 0.6 0.1 1.7 2.6 2.9 7.9 .368 1.1 3.7 .299 0.8 0.9 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 9 35.8 20.2 0.8 5.6 6.3 8.6 1.7 0.7 2.9 2.6 5.7 12.0 .472 2.7 7.3 .364 6.2 6.9 .903
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 13
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2021-222016-17
Team Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ersDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 65 37.2 22.0 0.8 6.8 7.7 10.3 1.3 0.6 4.4 2.4 6.3 15.3 .410 2.3 6.9 .330 7.2 8.2 .877
Jameer Nelson 75 27.3 9.2 0.4 2.2 2.6 5.1 0.7 0.1 1.7 2.6 3.6 8.1 .444 1.4 3.6 .388 0.6 0.8 .714
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 12 39.9 18.6 0.9 4.8 5.7 8.6 0.8 0.7 4.2 2.4 5.3 13.2 .405 2.3 6.3 .368 5.6 6.3 .893
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 14
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2022-232017-18
Team Philadelphia 76ersNew Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement Assists Leader-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 58 36.8 21.0 0.7 5.4 6.1 10.7 1.2 0.5 3.4 1.9 6.4 14.5 .441 2.8 7.2 .385 5.4 6.2 .867
Jameer Nelson 50 20.3 4.9 0.3 1.8 2.1 3.6 0.5 0.1 1.3 1.6 1.9 4.9 .389 0.8 2.5 .331 0.3 0.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 11 38.8 20.3 0.5 5.6 6.2 8.3 1.8 0.4 3.2 2.5 6.5 16.6 .393 2.8 7.5 .378 4.4 5.0 .873
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------

Season 15
James Harden Jameer Nelson
Season 2023-24-
Team Los Angeles Clippers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Clippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 72 34.3 16.6 0.5 4.7 5.1 8.5 1.1 0.8 2.6 1.8 4.9 11.4 .428 2.6 6.8 .381 4.2 4.8 .878
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 40.3 21.2 0.5 4.0 4.5 8.0 1.0 1.0 2.3 2.2 6.7 14.8 .449 3.0 7.8 .383 4.8 5.3 .906
Jameer Nelson ------- --- ----------
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