There's no doubt that James Harden will one day join Dwyane Wade in the NBA Hall of Fame, but it seems that many fans believe that Wade is well-ahead of Harden in their all-time NBA players rankings. Jeff Teague is not part of that group, however, and recently shocked many basketball fans when he said that he would take Harden over Wade on his all-time list.
Wade is widely known for his success with the Miami Heat, helping them win three championships during his career, and being one of the top scorers in the league during his prime. Harden hasn't had the success in the playoffs that Wade has had, but he has helped revolutionize the game of basketball during his time in the league, and according to Teague, when you put postseason success to the side, it's clear that Harden is a better player than Wade.
“Rings don’t matter to me… When I go to the park, I see a little kid playing like Harden. I don't really see little kids playing like D. Wade"
Jeff Teague explains why he ranks James Harden over Dwyane Wade all-time 👀
Thoughts? 🤔
(via @ComplexSports)pic.twitter.com/gblrtVqPJr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 5, 2023
The argument Jeff Teague is making here makes a lot of sense. Harden's elite three-point shooting and finishing in the paint helped make him one of the league's best scorers of the past decade, and he has managed to remain one of the top playmakers in the league and a strong rebounder to go with it. If Harden had any sort of postseason success, this wouldn't be a discussion.
However, Wade's instrumental success in the playoffs for the Heat, compared to Harden's career-long woes, give him the upper-hand in many fans' eyes. Teague clearly doesn't believe that the postseason is all that important, but it cannot be ignored when comparing legacies. It's an interesting debate, and while Teague's explanation here makes sense, he likely won't have many people agreeing with him.
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