Russell Westbrook and James Harden will be teammates once again this NBA season, and the Rockets pair have certainly evolved since their days together on the Thunder.
It has been seven years since Westbrook and Harden wore the same uniform, a series-deciding Game 5 loss to the Heat in the NBA Finals when the duo each scored 19 points.
Harden's contribution came from the bench — as it often did that season — and he soon moved to Houston to become the main man, a distinction he will be expected to keep despite Westbrook's arrival this offseason.
Here, using Stats Perform data, we look at how productive Westbrook and Harden were together in OKC, and how their roles have changed since.
A productive partnership
In their final year together with the Thunder, in 2011-12, Westbrook had the best season of his career in terms of field goal percentage (45.7 percent), while Harden had what remains his best season in terms of both field goal percentage (49.1 percent) and 3-pointers made (39 percent).
#Rednation pic.twitter.com/KlYH5M0jel
— James Harden (@JHarden13) July 26, 2019
Ten-time All-Star Kevin Durant was on the roster then too, of course, but a deeper dive into the numbers shows just how much better offensively the Thunder were in that season when Westbrook and Harden shared the floor.
Per 100 possessions, they averaged more points (113.8 to 102.8), more offensive rebounds (13.2 to 10.2), more assists (19.4 to 19.2) and scored more points off fast breaks (17.7 to 16.0).
Perhaps unsurprising, there was a drop-off defensively when Westbrook and Harden were on court together, as OKC conceded more points on average per 100 possessions (103.4 to 97.8).
Harden: From sixth man to main man
In the 2011-12 season, Harden's last with the Thunder, "The Beard" was voted the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year for his performances off the bench, when he averaged 16.8 points per game.
In his first year in Houston, Harden averaged a whopping 25.9 points per game — the increase of 9.1 points per game representing the fourth-largest jump of all time among players who switched teams after averaging at least 15 points per game in the previous season.
7 - James Harden has seven games this season with 50+ points, the eighth-most ever in a single #NBA season. Unstoppable. #Rockets #RunAsOne pic.twitter.com/qBtMkqbpXe
— OptaLarry (@OptaLarry) March 21, 2019
Moreover, among all Sixth Man of the Year winners, Harden has the five highest scoring seasons of all time — including last season, when he poured in 2,818 points in 78 games at a staggering average of 36.1.
All-around Russ
It was after Durant's departure to the Warriors in 2016 when Westbrook ascended from second fiddle to superstar.
Westbrook's numbers greatly improved in his first year without Harden and Durant. He averaged 31.6 points (up from 23.5 in the previous season), 10.7 rebounds (up from 7.8 in the previous season) and 10.4 assists per game (the same as the previous season).
That season — when Westbrook was named the league's MVP — he averaged a triple-double, a feat he also achieved in the following two seasons, despite Paul George's presence on the Thunder's roster between 2017 and 2019.
Last season, Westbrook took only 28.7 shots per 100 possessions when George was out, down from 35 attempts in 2017-18.
20-20-20 - Russell Westbrook joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in #NBA history to record a triple-double with 20+ points, 20+ rebounds and 20+ assists. Inconceivable. #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/JVu8nbdDzi
— OptaLarry (@OptaLarry) April 3, 2019