5 NBA Players with the most minutes per game this season  

#2 James Harden - 36.9 minutes per game

James Harden will be looking to lead the Houston Rockets all the way this year

James Harden is apparently in a slump. He is, however, averaging 35.3 points, 7.4 assists and, 6.4 rebounds this season while shooting nearly 36% from the range which is a testament to what a great start he had to the season. Harden continues to cement his status as one of the greatest scorers of all time the game has ever seen. He is playing 36.9 minutes per game with the Houston Rockets offense running through him.

The sheer workload given to Harden is one of the reasons why he has struggled in the postseason in the past. The offensive system run by Mike D'Antoni completely relies on Harden having a great game and is one of the reasons for their past failures.

The Houston Rockets should be looking to take some workload of Harden and will need him and Russell Westbrook fit and firing for the playoffs if they are to make a deep run in the postseason.

---

#1 Damian Lillard - 37 minutes per game

Damian Lillard missed the All-Star Game due to a groin strain

Damian Lillard has been a one-man wrecking crew this season. Leading the way for the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard is averaging 29.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds this term while shooting 39.3% from the perimeter.

The guard has been absolutely lighting up the NBA with outrageous performances for the Trail Blazers and continues to be one of the deadliest marksmen in the league. He had a four-game streak in which he was averaging over 50 points per game.

Lillard is attempting more three-pointers this term than before and is still managing to shoot at a very efficient rate of 39.3%. Unfortunately, he suffered a groin injury just before the All-Star Weekend and has remained on the sidelines since.