Who Would You Draft In Fantasy: James Harden Or Chris Paul?

Hopefully, you’re ready with cheat sheets, rankings and tips for your annual fantasy basketball draft party. If it hasn’t happened already, just know it’s coming. In the coming week, we’ll be breaking down and debating key matchups so when the time comes to choose, you’ll know where to go.

Up first was the debate over the best fantasy player in the game. Is it LeBron or KD? Then we asked about Dwight Howard and Kevin Love. Now today, we’re pitting James Harden against Chris Paul. We argue. You decide.

*based on head-to-head format*

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JAMES HARDEN
Last season, James Harden confirmed that the Houston Rockets made an excellent decision by trading for him and locking him up with a five-year, $80 million contract. Now, fantasy owners will be able to share that same feeling with the Rockets. Harden is one of the brightest young players in the NBA today, falling under the category of fantasy superstardom with his 25-5-5 stat-line. To me, these guys are the most valuable players in fantasy basketball. Not only does Harden dominate the scoring category, he contributes in nearly every statistical sense imaginable.

Although Harden had exceptional fantasy relevance coming off the bench in Oklahoma City, being traded to the Rockets has sky-rocketed his value to another level. To put it plain and simple, he’s the new Kobe Bryant in the fantasy world. For starters, Harden is coming off a career year in three-pointers, points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking — that’s every category relevant in a match-up. The 24-year-old is only getting better as he gains more experience in the league, so I find it difficult to believe he’s going to have a down year.

Harden finished the 2012-2013 campaign fifth in the league in scoring at 25.9 points per game, a total that gives any team manager a legitimate advantage right off the bat in that category. Not only does Harden’s ability to score the rock place him in the elite set of fantasy superstars, but he hits the three-point shot at an efficient clip, logging 2.3 treys a game, sixth among all fantasy players with shooting guard eligibility.

Not only does Harden find himself on top of the statistical board with his scoring totals, but sticking with the players with shooting guard eligibility, the young stud was 10th in the league in rebounds, and seventh in the league in assists. Harden may not record a shocking number of triple-doubles, but it’s clear that he’s a threat to put up double-digit numbers in every offensive category.

Regarding defensive statistics, I absolutely love what Harden brings to the table. Remember vintage Dwyane Wade in the height of his fantasy relevance? Steals and blocks simply set him apart from the rest. Harden has shown the ability to put up monster stats on the defensive end for a shooting guard, averaging 1.8 steals per game, third among shooting guards and ninth in the entire league. Don’t get me wrong, steals should be a dominant category for a first-round shooting guard, but the blocks is what impresses me. Wade made a career being known as one of the greatest shotblocking guards, and Harden is not too far behind. The Rockets swing man averaged .5 blocks per game, a statistic in fantasy that’s often overlooked. It’s a tremendous boost when you have a player who puts up solid stats in a category they have no business to. Harden’s not coming cheap, but if he happens to be your first-round selection this year, your team will immediately be in good shape.
-CHRIS DIGIOIA

Hit page 2 to hear why you should take CP before the Beard…

CHRIS PAUL
The one thing I can’t stress enough about fantasy basketball drafts is to make the safest picks possible in the early rounds, while shooting for guys with tons of potential later on. Essentially, your first four or five picks should be considered as your core, and even in a down year, should be very sound statistically. Your top pick should be a proven commodity, which is why I consider Chris Paul to be more valuable than most other first rounders.

Is it possible that James Harden will replicate last year’s 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists? Yes. Is it possible that Dwight Howard‘s presence only helps out Harden’s game and he takes the Rockets to the next level? Yes. However, at the price of a top-three pick, I’m not willing to find out because although it’s not likely, it’s just as possible that last year was a fluke. Maybe Dwight’s presence will clog up The Beard’s paint and he’ll struggle with his efficiency. Maybe now that teams have a full season of film (why do we still call it film again?) to watch on Harden, it will be easier for defenses to key in on him. It’s hard to mess with the unknown in fantasy sports, which is why you have to make your early picks count.

CP3 has been the model for efficiency at his position since entering the NBA eight years ago. He has a proven track record and is a sure bet to dominate two categories. In five out of the last six seasons, he has topped the NBA in steals per game, and he has twice led the league in assists. With Paul, you know what you’re getting.

Although CP will have to adjust to some new teammates as well, namely J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley, the only thing that means for him is easier opportunities for dimes. Over the years, he has proved capable of making the players around him better, and has the ability to mesh well with anyone and everyone. If there were ever any threat to his playing time, it was Eric Bledsoe, but now that he’s out of town, the roster is even more tailored to Paul’s playmaking skills.

By no means am I omitting the capabilities of Harden. He’s going to score way more points, totally outdo CP in treys, and have a bigger impact on your percentage because of his volume of attempts. I have him directly behind Paul in my rankings, but only because we’ve only seen Harden do it once. Another monster season can easily sway my opinion, but for this season, if I have to build my team around someone not name LeBron James or Kevin Durant, the safest pick is Chris Paul.
-KEVIN SMITH

Who would you draft first?

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