The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame added several more luminaries to its already-loaded cast this past weekend with a class led by “Half Man, Half Amazing” Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, and Doug Collins. Although more will be added yearly, Basketball Reference and Bleacher Report point to Los Angeles Clippers superstars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden as shoo-ins to make it once they’re eligible.
An offensive savant
When “The Beard” was at the height of his powers with the Houston Rockets, there wasn’t anyone in the league could stop him. From 2015 to 2020, he averaged 31.7 points and 8.5 assists per game, highlighted by his MVP-winning season 2018. According to Basketball Reference, Harden’s chances of making it to the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, are pegged at 99.9 percent.
“At his peak, few players have matched James Harden’s offensive talents,” Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report wrote . “His 36.1 points per game during the 2018-19 season is the seventh-highest scoring average in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. He’s been a scoring and assist champion, combining outstanding footwork and scoring prowess with skillful passing ability.”
Two-time NBA Finals MVP
Meanwhile, Kawhi is a rare player whose injury history perhaps overshadows his accomplishments. A two-time NBA Finals MVP winner with the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, “The Claw,” when healthy, is undoubtedly the league’s pre-eminent two-way player.
Unfortunately for the 6-foot-7 wingman from California, numerous knee injuries have prevented him from realizing his potential…