NBA 2018-19 Season: Top 10 shooting guards today

#1 James Harden

Harden is the most dominant iso player in the world today

The Bearded Picasso, as Trevor Ariza labeled him in his MVP pitch for the 2016-17 season, won the trophy that has eluded him (wrongly) on at least two separate occasions last season after leading the Houston Rockets to a league-best 65-17 record.

Harden is the most dominant iso player in the world today. He averaged 1.22 points per isolation possession on a much higher frequency than any other player - a rate better than most teams' transition efficiency. Harden switching on to a big man on offense is about as sure a point-generating formula as any in the league.

Harden averaged 30.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game during the regular season last year. Previously valid criticisms of his defense are really no longer applicable, as coach Mike D'Antoni has successfully schemed his defenses in such a manner that Harden is able to act as a post defender on the weak side, using his tremendous lower body strength to an advantage on those scenarios.

With the burden of being his team's sole playmaker and elite scorer off his shoulders, Harden really took off last season. Expect him to be there and thereabouts in MVP contention this season as well.