5 NBA players with most games of 5+ turnovers; Where do LeBron James and James Harden rank?

Dominating the ball in an NBA game requires certain efforts to be made, both on the glasses and protecting the ball on offense. Great offensive teams often produce fewer turnovers than others, while top defenses in the NBA usually base their dominance on generating turnovers to the opposing teams.

Players have the task of protecting the ball on offense, but those who have the ball on their hands frequently for their teams can usually have a high number of turnovers due to the responsibility of creating plays for the rest of the squad.

These 5 NBA players have had the most games with five turnovers or more in league history

Players like LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and James Harden can have games where the assist-turnover is not the greatest, but it comes with their control of the ball (which might be excessive to some) and how their offenses are usually constructed (along with some bad decisions on offense, which is normal).

When you look at the all-time table of turnovers among players, you'll see that there are legends in the Top 5, mainly because they had the responsibility to lead their team's offenses.

In this article, we will focus on games with five or more turnovers among players. There might be a lot of active players on the list, given how some offenses in today's league are driven mainly by one player handling the ball. Still, players from the past could still make an appearance.

Without further ado, let us take a look.

#5 Magic Johnson - 303

Magic Jonson with the Larry O'Brien trophy. Photo Credit: Focus on Sport via Getty Images.

Magic Johnson's spot as the greatest NBA point guard of all time does not seem to be under threat for years to come, as it simply is taken as a fact and not a subjective judgment.

Of course, with Magic holding the basketball as much as he did while running the 'Showtime' LA Lakers' offense in the 1980s, there were also quite a few turnovers.

Magic had 303 games with at least five turnovers throughout his illustrious career, and he led the league in turnovers once in his career. He is the all-time leader in assists-per-game average, but he is also second in average turnovers per game, with 3.9 (of course, the 'Showtime' fast-paced offense probably had something to do with it).

#4 Isiah Thomas - 308

Thomas celebrating the Pistons' 1990 NBA Finals with Vinnie Johnson.

Isiah Thomas is also one of the greatest point guards in the NBA, as his exploits at the position guided the 'Bad Boy' Detroit Pistons to consecutive NBA titles in 1989 and 1990.

For all his offensive prowess (career averages of 19.2 points and 9.3 assists per game), Thomas' turnovers were usually up there. He led the NBA in total turnovers twice in his career and posted a career average of 3.8 turnovers per game (tied for third-highest in league history).

Like Magic Johnson, Thomas was also part of some fast-paced offenses in the early stages of his NBA career, which definitely helped his overall stats, but also saw him put some high average turnovers per game.

Also Read: Who are Lebron James Kids?

#3 James Harden - 311

James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts toward the crowd.

James Harden is one of the greatest scoring machines we've ever seen in the NBA, while he is also one of six players in league history to win both the scoring and assist titles in their careers (Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Nate Archibald, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James also did it).

Harden has three scoring titles to his name and he also once led the league in assists per game. Moreover, he's had two seasons averaging double-digit assists.

However, Harden's turnovers have been high ever since he became the focal point of an offense back in the 2012-13 season, his first with the Houston Rockets. He's led the league in turnovers per game six times (most in NBA history) and has the fifth-highest turnover-per-game average in league history.

Also check out: James Harden Contract Breakdown

#2 LeBron James - 367

LeBron James is one of the greatest passers the NBA has ever seen, and his ability to create plays for his teammates is definitely one of his best assets on a basketball court.

Although he is also one of the best scorers the league has ever seen, LeBron James is often referred to as a pass-first player. Certainly, many of the analyses defending James' case to be the greatest player of all time are based on how he is able to create plays for his teammates and also score, while some other legends weren't asked to do so in their careers.

Yes, LeBron James is a great passer. But his high usage rating and having the ball most of the time also creates a turnover issue for him, though his teams have been immensely happy with a few turnovers, because James' greatness still allowed them to play deep into the NBA Playoffs.

James has had 367 games in his career with at least five turnovers, the second-most in league history. He is also the all-time leader in turnovers, even though he's never led the NBA in turnovers throughout an entire season.

#1 Russell Westbrook - 375

Russell Westbrook might be the player who fills the stats sheet the most in NBA history. Unfortunately for him and his teams, that also includes turnovers. Westbrook is a great player who plays the point guard position, but he runs into several turnovers game after game.

It is obviously not a defining fact in his career, as he does many other positive things for his teams. However, it is definitely a blemish that he should work on relentlessly to try and correct.

Westbrook has had 375 games with five turnovers or more, and has 'led' the NBA in total turnovers four times in his career. He is also sixth in NBA history in terms of career turnovers with 3,893.

He also has the highest average of turnovers per game with 4.1 (among players with at least 400 games).