LA Clippers guard James Harden is already one of the most individually accomplished players in the NBA. With 10 All-Star selections, seven All-NBA teams, three scoring titles, two assist titles, and a league MVP award, Harden is an undisputed first ballot Hall of Famer.

As he attempts to add an NBA championship to his extensive list of accomplishments, Harden also wants to be named a 2025 All-Star. Speaking after Thursday’s win over the Washington Wizards, a game in which he passed Wilt Chamberlain for 8th all-time in triple-doubles, Harden was asked about a potential 11th All-Star selection.

“It means a lot,” Harden said. “Just the work that I’ve put in individually and as a team. The accomplishments and my numbers is good enough. I’ve been on the other side where I led the league in assists and didn’t make it. So it would be an honor to me. I would love be a part of the team.”

Harden led the NBA in assists during the 2022-23 season, but did not make the All-Star team. He ranks sixth in that category this season, but as the 2018 MVP noted, his overall numbers are good enough to earn him an All-Star nod.

Appearing in 41 of LA’s 44 games this season, Harden has helped lead the Clippers to a 25-19 record that ranks sixth in the Western Conference standings. The Clippers are 25-16 when Harden plays and 0-3 when he doesn’t. Superstar forward Kawhi Leonard has played in just six of those games, and has been capped at 24 minutes (22.2 per game).

Through 41 games, Harden is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.9 rebounds. The only other players in the league averaging those numbers or better are Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Cade Cunningham.

While he has benefited from the defensive prowess around him, as Kris Dunn, Ivica Zubac and Derrick Jones Jr. are each among the NBA’s best on that end, Harden has turned in some strong individual defense this season.

Among all guards who have defended at least 500 field goal attempts this season, Harden’s 46.4% defensive field goal percentage ranks eighth in the NBA (per the league’s official data). Harden has also come away with 58 steals, which ranks ninth among Western Conference guards.

Due to his combination of production and availability, Harden’s statistical totals have him in very exclusive company. Entering Friday’s slate of games, Harden and Jokic are the only two players in the NBA this season with at least 800 points, 300 assists, 200 rebounds, and 50 steals. 

When considering this overall production, and how it’s helped the Clippers achieve a top-six seed after most preseason projections had them in the lottery, Harden’s All-Star case is a legitimate one. Similar arguments can be made for his teammates Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac, as the two veterans are having career seasons.

“I know how important he is,” Harden said of Zubac after Thursday’s win. “You talk about unappreciated, there’s a lot of people who overlook this team and don’t understand the value that we have amongst each other. Take Norm off this team, take anyone of the guys off this team, it’s not the same team.”

The importance of Zubac and Powell is something Harden has mentioned all season. But similarly, the two breakout stars have spoken about what his presence has meant for their ability to produce the way they have.

“When you lose a man like James, who is not only scoring twenty something a game, but is averaging almost ten assists, he’s setting up players, planning out plays, and putting people in their spots on offense, everything changes,” Zubac said after the first of just three games Harden has missed this season. “The game is a lot different. So it’s a lot more on us even with just being vocal out there and leading the team. He’s our leader on the court.”

Powell added something similar that night, saying of Harden, “He’s a guy that makes a lot of stuff happen with the ball, making plays. The way teams guard us with him on the floor, with either me or him out, it gets a little difficult. But him, he’s such a ball-dominant guy that can get everybody better… We need him. What he sees on the floor, and I thought he had great leadership off the floor. He was talking to the guys, what he sees, how we can be better tonight.”

This ability to elevate the play of his teammates, while still producing some of the league’s best individual numbers, has Harden deserving of a 2025 NBA All-Star selection.

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