James Harden vs. Paul Westphal Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Paul Westphal 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

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, 3 more than Paul Westphal, who played 12. James Harden had the first of his seasons in 2009-10, while Paul Westphal had his rookie season in 1972-73. 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
Paul Westphal 12 9 1972-73 to 1983-84

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 Paul Westphal
Season 2009-101972-73
Team Oklahoma City ThunderBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie Second Team-
Playoffs Thunder Lost West Conf 1st RdCeltics 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 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
Paul Westphal 60 8.0 4.1 - - 1.1 1.2 - - - 1.5 1.5 3.5 .420 - - - 1.1 1.4 .779
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
Paul Westphal 11 9.9 3.9 - - 0.6 0.8 - - - 2.2 1.7 3.5 .487 - - - 0.5 0.6 .714

Season 2

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2010-111973-74
Team Oklahoma City ThunderBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Thunder Lost West Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
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
Paul Westphal 82 14.2 7.2 0.6 1.1 1.7 2.1 0.5 0.4 - 2.1 2.9 5.8 .501 - - - 1.4 1.9 .732
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
Paul Westphal 18 13.4 5.7 0.3 0.8 1.2 1.7 0.4 0.1 - 2.1 2.6 5.6 .460 - - - 0.6 0.8 .733

Season 3

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2011-121974-75
Team Oklahoma City ThunderBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
Playoffs Thunder Lost NBA FinalsCeltics 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 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
Paul Westphal 82 19.3 9.8 0.5 1.5 2.0 2.9 1.0 0.4 - 2.3 4.2 8.2 .510 - - - 1.5 1.9 .763
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
Paul Westphal 11 16.6 8.0 0.5 0.7 1.2 2.9 0.5 0.2 - 1.9 3.5 7.4 .469 - - - 1.1 1.6 .667

Season 4

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2012-131975-76
Team Houston RocketsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdSuns 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 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
Paul Westphal 82 36.1 20.5 0.9 2.3 3.2 5.4 2.6 0.5 - 2.7 8.0 16.2 .494 - - - 4.5 5.4 .830
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
Paul Westphal 19 36.1 21.1 0.7 1.7 2.5 5.1 1.8 0.5 - 3.2 8.7 17.0 .511 - - - 3.7 4.9 .763

Season 5

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2013-141976-77
Team Houston RocketsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets 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 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
Paul Westphal 81 32.1 21.3 0.7 1.6 2.3 5.7 1.7 0.3 - 2.1 8.4 16.3 .518 - - - 4.5 5.4 .825
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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------

Season 6

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2014-151977-78
Team Houston RocketsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf FinalsSuns 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 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
Paul Westphal 80 31.0 25.2 0.5 1.5 2.1 5.5 1.7 0.4 3.5 2.0 10.1 19.6 .516 - - - 5.0 6.1 .813
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
Paul Westphal 2 33.0 26.0 1.5 1.5 3.0 9.5 0.5 0.0 2.5 2.0 11.0 23.5 .468 - - - 4.0 4.5 .889

Season 7

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2015-161978-79
Team Houston RocketsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdSuns Lost West 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 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
Paul Westphal 81 32.6 24.0 0.4 1.5 2.0 6.5 1.4 0.3 2.9 2.0 9.9 18.5 .535 - - - 4.2 5.0 .837
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
Paul Westphal 15 35.6 22.4 0.5 1.7 2.2 4.3 1.0 0.3 2.5 2.5 9.5 19.1 .495 - - - 3.5 4.4 .788

Season 8

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2016-171979-80
Team Houston RocketsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisSuns Lost West 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 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
Paul Westphal 82 32.5 21.9 0.6 1.7 2.3 5.1 1.5 0.4 2.5 2.0 8.4 16.1 .525 0.3 1.1 .280 4.7 5.4 .862
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
Paul Westphal 8 31.6 20.9 0.3 1.0 1.3 3.9 1.4 0.4 1.6 2.5 8.6 17.8 .486 0.1 1.5 .083 3.5 4.0 .875

Season 9

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2017-181980-81
Team Houston RocketsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement 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
Paul Westphal 36 29.9 16.7 0.3 1.6 1.9 4.1 1.3 0.4 2.2 1.9 6.1 13.9 .442 0.2 0.7 .240 4.3 5.1 .832
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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------

Season 10

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2018-191981-82
Team Houston RocketsNew York Knicks
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
Paul Westphal 18 25.1 11.7 0.5 0.7 1.2 5.6 1.1 0.4 2.6 3.4 4.8 10.8 .443 0.1 0.4 .250 2.0 2.6 .766
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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------

Season 11

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2019-201982-83
Team Houston RocketsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisKnicks 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 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
Paul Westphal 80 24.7 10.0 0.2 1.2 1.4 5.5 1.1 0.2 2.5 2.3 4.0 8.7 .459 0.2 0.6 .292 1.9 2.3 .804
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
Paul Westphal 6 26.0 9.5 0.0 1.3 1.3 5.7 0.3 0.3 1.5 2.2 3.7 8.3 .440 0.5 1.3 .375 1.7 2.2 .769

Season 12

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2020-211983-84
Team Houston Rockets, Brooklyn NetsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Nets Lost East Conf SemisSuns Lost West 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 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
Paul Westphal 59 14.7 7.0 0.1 0.6 0.7 2.5 0.7 0.1 1.3 1.2 2.4 5.3 .460 0.1 0.4 .269 2.0 2.4 .824
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
Paul Westphal 17 13.1 5.3 0.2 0.3 0.5 2.2 0.7 0.0 1.4 1.4 1.8 4.7 .375 0.1 0.5 .222 1.6 1.9 .875

Season 13

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2021-22-
Team Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers 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 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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------
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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------

Season 14

James Harden Paul Westphal
Season 2022-23-
Team Philadelphia 76ers-
Honors & Awards Achievement Assists Leader-
Playoffs 76ers 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 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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------
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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------

Season 15

James Harden Paul Westphal
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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------
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
Paul Westphal ------- --- ----------