Golden State Warriors

James Harden has 99 problems, and they all have to do with Steph Curry

Published Nov. 19, 2015 5:18 p.m. ET

foxsports

Last season's two primary MVP candidates, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors (the winner) and James Harden of the Houston Rockets (the runner-up), couldn't have started this season off in a more different fashion.

Curry has been on fire. He's the human version of the flame emoji. He's enjoying one of the greatest starts to a season by anyone ever, and looks to be the dominant favorite for an MVP repeat.

Harden, meanwhile, has struggled to score efficiently and consistently, and the Rockets have suffered as a result.

Comparing the two, at this point, simply isn't fair. Curry is the best player in the league right now. Harden, while still a top-10 talent for sure, hasn't performed anywhere near that level.

But, for argument's sake, let's take a look at arguably the biggest difference between the two (and often the biggest difference between Curry and anyone else): Their three-point percentage.

According to ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh, Curry could miss 99 consecutive three-pointers and still be more efficient than Harden from deep:

Just dropped this on @SportsCenter: if Steph goes 0-for-99 tonight, he'd still have a better 3FG% than James Harden. pic.twitter.com/Zoj0xderA9
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) November 19, 2015

It's safe to say that James Harden has 99 problems, and they all have to do with how great Stephen Curry has been.