Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistent offensive production makes him one of the deadliest scorers in NBA history. Former NBA veteran Vernon Maxwell said he would take Gilgeous-Alexander over James Harden.
Why Vernon Maxwell Ranks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Higher Than Prime James Harden
Maxwell played six seasons with the Houston Rockets, winning NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. He had a 13-year NBA career, but his best seasons, by far, came in a Rockets uniform. The 47th pick in the 1988 NBA Draft averaged 14.9 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 402 games with Houston.
He went on the “All the Smoke” podcast with former NBA veterans Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. Barnes asked Maxwell whether he would take prime Harden or Gilgeous-Alexander, who is just entering his prime at 27 years old. His response shocked Barnes, especially considering the love he has for his time with the Rockets.
“James [Harden], you know I love you and your mom and sh*t. I’m sorry, but I’m going to go with SGA,” Maxwell said with a smile.
Vernon Maxwell says he would take SGA over prime James Harden:
“James, you know I love you and your mom and sh*t I’m sorry, but I’m going to go with SGA.
(Via @allthesmokeprod) pic.twitter.com/fITwVjL64E
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 18, 2026
Barnes disagreed with Maxwell.
“I played against this James. I thought it was James … I remember during James’ run, he was drawing fouls at an alarming rate. He was able to run into you and get his arms out and draw those fouls,” Barnes said.
The 2017 NBA champion said the league changed some of the foul rules because no one could stop Harden from getting to the free-throw line.
The 11-time All-Star averaged 29.6 points, 7.7 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in nine campaigns with the Rockets. Harden averaged 10.4 free-throw attempts per game over that time. He made the All-Star team every season in Houston and was a consistent elite scorer for the franchise. The now-Cleveland Cavaliers guard scored at least 30.4 points from 2017 to 2020, taking home league MVP for the 2017–18 campaign.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers put him in special company. He averages 31.7 points, 6.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals for the 2025–26 campaign. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar shoots 54.9% from the field and, like Houston Harden, gets to the charity stripe a lot at 9.1 attempts per game. He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126 consecutive 20-point games and shows no signs of slowing down.
Gilgeous-Alexander remains on track to score at least 30.0 points in four straight campaigns. Nobody has achieved this feat since Michael Jordan did it for an impressive seven seasons from 1986 to 1993. If Gilgeous-Alexander continues to score this efficiently, he might have a shot at matching Jordan’s streak.
Can Gilgeous-Alexander Win Back-to-Back NBA MVPs?
Gilgeous-Alexander took home the 2024–25 MVP after finishing second in the previous season. Maxwell thinks no one can stop him from grabbing his second MVP honor in as many campaigns.
“It’s SGA back-to-back, man. Doing what he did, just for that long … Nobody had [scored over 20 points for that long] since Wilt. You know how hard that is? It ain’t gonna stop. He’s going to get 20 for the rest of the d**m year,” Maxwell said.
