James Harden Believes The OKC Thunder Might've Earned A Championship Earlier

In a recent interview, Harden stated that he, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook could've brought the Thunder their first championship

Despite the lack of championships, the Oklahoma City Thunder have always possessed many wonderful stars. Although the franchise never got the shine and glory other NBA organizations earned, they did once feature a potential Big Three.

On a recent episode of the Earn Your Leisure podcast, point guard James Harden revealed that the trio of him, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook could’ve won multiple championships.

“Two chips, at least, at the minimum.” - James Harden

Harden, Durant, and Westbrook played together in Oklahoma City from 2010 to 2012. Throughout those seasons, Durant and Westbrook were the primary leaders while Harden was the leading reserve.

The trio proved that they could have coexisted together

Although the trio only started in seven games together, they were great in their roles.

During their three years together, Durant was the main scorer and arguably one of the best players in the league. With a combined average of 28.7 points, he led the league in scoring each year. Along with being an All-Star each year, he also remained top five in the Most Valuable Player award race.

Before Westbrook became known for his ability to record triple-doubles, he was the Thunder’s playmaker. Along with a combined point average of 20.3, he also averaged 7.3 assists on an assist percentage of 37.5%. Nearly similar to Durant, Westbrook was an All-NBA player who earned two All-Star honors and began entering MVP talks.

Even though Harden earned less playing time than Durant and Westbrook, he still contributed in a respective way. While Harden played a combined average of just 26.7 minutes, he turned in averages of 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

Harden’s final year with the Thunder was his best one. In the 2011-12 campaign, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, ultimately winning the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Although Durant was the only one to win a championship later, Westbrook and Harden still went on to have remarkable careers. If the trio happened to stay together, they might’ve brought the Thunder their long-awaited championship.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to The Lead. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson