Rockets superstar James Harden made history in Thursday’s first quarter by recording assist number 4,403 of his Houston tenure. Appropriately, it occurred in Harden’s hometown of Los Angeles, where the Rockets (18-9) faced the Clippers (21-8) in a clash of perceived NBA title contenders.
That assist — which led to a dunk for big man Clint Capela — allowed Harden to pass Hall of Fame guard Calvin Murphy (4,402) for the franchise’s all-time assists lead.
Entering Thursday, Harden was the NBA’s leading scorer this season at 38.9 points per game. However, on the all-time Rockets points list, Harden (16,881) trailed No. 2 scorer Murphy (17,949) by nearly 1,000 points and No. 1 scorer Hakeem Olajuwon (26,511) by almost 10,000.
In many ways, it’s symbolic for Harden to pass Murphy on the assists list before the points list. Though the 2018 MVP is revered for his scoring, it’s the diversity of his skillset and his ability to both score and facilitate that has largely defined his eight seasons to date in Houston.
🔥 Beard to Capela Connection 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2LVxbyo7q1
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 20, 2019
Murphy, who now works as an analyst for Rockets television partner AT&T SportsNet Southwest, addressed Harden’s looming history on Monday.
People are going to ask me about him breaking my record. Number one, I’ve held it for 50 years. Can you believe that? All my contemporaries are gone, and they’re still talking about Calvin Murphy.
I’ve always said that if any of my records fall, I want them to be broken by somebody of quality. Not somebody that accidentally stepped into it. James Harden is more than qualified to break any of Calvin Murphy’s records.
The thing I like about James Harden is that when he does something of that magnitude, he always brings me along for the ride, and I appreciate that. … The fact that he appreciates what we did before him makes me feel good. This man has class.
.@JHarden13 is now TIED with @CalvinMurphyHOF for the #Rockets ALL-TIME assists record.
ICYMI … Calvin talked about it earlier on the Pregame Show.@HoustonRockets I #OneMission pic.twitter.com/Q5PkNNgSFk
— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) December 17, 2019
When asked last weekend to compare Harden to other current NBA stars and MVP candidates, Orlando Magic defensive ace Jonathan Isaac pointed to Harden’s passing as a distinguishing characteristic.
“I would say he’s the toughest so far, with the way that he’s able to get everybody else involved on top of him having a great shooting night,” Isaac said after Harden’s 54 points and seven assists in a blowout win.
[lawrence-related id=19774]
As for the franchise’s all-time leaders in cumulative statistics, Harden also ranks first in three-pointers made and attempted.
Barring injury, the 30-year-old guard should soon become the all-time Rockets leader in made free throws, as well. Harden entered Thursday’s game 255 made foul shots short of Olajuwon (5,121 to 5,376), but with an average of 13.1 free-throw attempts per game on 88.4% accuracy and 55 games left to play this season, Harden should easily clear Olajuwon’s mark before the 2019-20 campaign is complete.
For perspective, heading into Thursday’s game, Harden had made 312 free throws within just the first 27 games for the Rockets.
With Harden under contract through at least 2021-22, he’ll have every opportunity to break numerous other team records in the years ahead.
[lawrence-related id=19855]
