James Harden, 2011-12
16.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 SPG

A couple things here. First, we could have easily filled nearly this entire list with Durant’s years in Oklahoma City, and he will get his fair share of recognition in this article, but we wanted to mix it up a bit. Second, Harden obviously went on to bigger things in a different uniform, but it was this season where he really started to show his abilities as a scorer despite deferring to Durant and Russell Westbrook.

After seeing another improvement in wins in the 2010-11 season and earning a trip to the Western Conference Finals, this season’s team actually took a step back in the win column but took the more important step forward by advancing to the NBA Finals.

While Westbrook and Durant powered the show, the emergence of secondary options like Harden and Serge Ibaka was huge for the Thunder. For the first time in his career, Harden averaged 10+ field goal attempts per game and posted a sizeable rise in his FG%, from 43.6% the season before to 49.1%. He also posted a career-best 3-point percentage of .390, and his emergence helped the Thunder get within three games of claiming the NBA title.