Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

James Harden vs Lauri Markkanen

10-6categories
Harden · Markkanen

Harden

Cavaliers

2025-26

Markkanen

Jazz

Games

availability

34.8

Minutes

per game

34.3

23.6

Points

per game

26.7

4.8

Rebounds

per game

6.9

8.0

Assists

per game

2.1

1.5

Steals + blocks

per game

1.5

3.5

Turnovers

per game · lower is better

1.5

43.4%

Field goal %

47.7%

37.5%

Three-point %

8.2 vs 7.7 attempts

35.5%

88.4%

Free throw %

89.6%

61.0%

True shooting

TS%

60.8%

27.9%

Usage

USG%

26.9%

34.7%

Assist %

of teammates' baskets

10.1%

7.0%

Rebound %

of available

9.4%

+1.8

Net rating

on court

-1.5

14.3%

PIE

player impact estimate

13.9%

+1.4

Plus-minus

per game

-1.3

Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Lauri Markkanen scored more in 2025-26, 3.1 points a game apart (26.7 vs 23.6), on Harden's heavier usage (27.9% vs 26.9%).

Efficiency is a wash: true shooting within a point of each other (61.0% vs 60.8%).

Playmaking goes to Harden (8.0 vs 2.1 assists), the glass to Markkanen (6.9 vs 4.8 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Harden played 28 more games (70 vs 42 of 82).

With Harden on the floor his team outscored opponents by +1.8 per 100 possessions, against -1.5 for Markkanen; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Harden $30.6M through 2028-29, Markkanen $46.1M through 2028-29. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs

Harden

2025-26

Markkanen

40-30

Record when playing

17-25

21.9

Points at home

28.1

25.1

Points on the road

25.6

24.3

Points in wins

29.5

22.7

Points in losses

24.8

Season high

30-point games

Double-doubles

Last games & contracts

test a trade in the Trade Machine →

Harden · last 5

Tue, Oct 13 at ORL13 pts · 0 reb · 2 ast

Sun, Oct 11 vs ORL24 pts · 4 reb · 2 ast

Thu, Oct 8 vs BOS0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast

Mon, May 25 vs NYK12 pts · 4 reb · 2 ast

Sat, May 23 vs NYK19 pts · 5 reb · 5 ast

Markkanen · last 5

Wed, Oct 21 at MEM18 pts · 9 reb · 3 ast

Fri, Oct 16 at PHX19 pts · 5 reb · 1 ast

Mon, Oct 12 vs SAS11 pts · 1 reb · 2 ast

Tue, Oct 6 vs DEN0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast

Sun, Oct 4 at DEN17 pts · 2 reb · 0 ast

Harden · contract

2026-27$30.6M

2027-28$32.2M

2028-29player option$33.7M

Markkanen · contract

2026-27$46.1M

2027-28$49.8M

2028-29$53.5M

More comparisons

pick any two players →

Harden vs
Keyonte George · Cade Cunningham · Austin Reaves · Jamal Murray

Markkanen vs
Kevin Durant · Giannis Antetokounmpo · Kawhi Leonard · Victor Wembanyama

Harden vs the top 40 scorers of 2025-26
Luka Doncic · Shai Gilgeous-Alexander · Anthony Edwards · Jaylen Brown · Tyrese Maxey · Kawhi Leonard · Donovan Mitchell · Nikola Jokic · Lauri Markkanen · Stephen Curry · Devin Booker · Jalen Brunson · Kevin Durant · Jamal Murray · Victor Wembanyama · Michael Porter Jr. · Deni Avdija · Pascal Siakam · Cade Cunningham · Keyonte George · Austin Reaves · Jalen Johnson · Paolo Banchero · Norman Powell · Brandon Ingram · Trey Murphy III · Julius Randle · Cooper Flagg · Zion Williamson · LeBron James · Nickeil Alexander-Walker · Shaedon Sharpe · Alperen Sengun · Brandon Miller · Dillon Brooks · LaMelo Ball · Bam Adebayo · Karl-Anthony Towns · Desmond Bane

Markkanen vs the top 40 scorers of 2025-26
Luka Doncic · Shai Gilgeous-Alexander · Anthony Edwards · Jaylen Brown · Tyrese Maxey · Kawhi Leonard · Donovan Mitchell · Nikola Jokic · Stephen Curry · Devin Booker · Jalen Brunson · Kevin Durant · Jamal Murray · Victor Wembanyama · Michael Porter Jr. · Deni Avdija · Pascal Siakam · Cade Cunningham · Keyonte George · James Harden · Austin Reaves · Jalen Johnson · Paolo Banchero · Norman Powell · Brandon Ingram · Trey Murphy III · Julius Randle · Cooper Flagg · Zion Williamson · LeBron James · Nickeil Alexander-Walker · Shaedon Sharpe · Alperen Sengun · Brandon Miller · Dillon Brooks · LaMelo Ball · Bam Adebayo · Karl-Anthony Towns · Desmond Bane

Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).