James Harden

This one stat proves James Harden has been the NBA's best offensive player since 2013

Published Jan. 18, 2017 7:59 p.m. ET

Brett Pollakoff

James Harden is in the middle of an MVP-caliber season, thanks to a new head coach in Mike D'Antoni, who has fully unleashed all of his offensive powers while transitioning The Beard to the point guard position -- a move that has Harden leading the league in assists for the first time in his career.

But Harden's breakout season shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, considering he's been the league's best offensive player now for the past four seasons and counting -- and it isn't even close.

Take a look at these numbers, from Howard Beck's deep dive into Harden's current season for B/R Mag:

Since joining the Rockets at the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Harden has scored a league-leading 8,306 points on threes, free throws and shots at the rim -- spots on the floor that yield the best overall results, according to widely accepted advanced statistical theories.

So, despite what you may think of Harden's propensity to try and draw fouls (which, admittedly, isn't always aesthetically pleasing), he's playing the game in the most efficient way possible, and is doing it better than anyone else.

He has been for quite some time.

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James Harden

Houston Rockets

National Basketball Association