Looking at 5 NBA players through history who excelled in 2 positions for 2 different teams

James Harden has excelled in two positions for two NBA franchises.
James Harden has excelled in two positions for two NBA franchises.

#3 Lou Williams

Lou Williams #6 of the Atlanta Hawks brings the ball up court while guarded by Caleb Martin #10 of the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter during their game at Spectrum Center on April 11, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Lou Williams #6 of the Atlanta Hawks brings the ball up court while guarded by Caleb Martin #10 of the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter during their game at Spectrum Center on April 11, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lou Williams was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 45th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft and has since then featured in the NBA for 16 seasons and 10 playoffs. In the time spent in the league, he has played for 6 franchises as a small forward and power forward.

Williams' debut season with the L.A. Clippers in the 2017-18 NBA season as a shooting guard saw him lead the team in points, assists, steals, field goals and three-point scoring. The three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year was a point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2011-12 season and played a role in helping the team finish third in the NBA Atlantic Division. He led the team in points, second-best in three-points and third-best in field goals and assists.


#4 LeBron James

LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles during Los Angeles Lakers media day at UCLA Health Training Center on September 28, 2021 in El Segundo, California.
LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles during Los Angeles Lakers media day at UCLA Health Training Center on September 28, 2021 in El Segundo, California.

The four-time NBA champion LeBron James has represented three franchises in his 18 season run in the NBA - the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers. He played different roles in his 18 year career and played them well. He spent 11 seasons with the Cavaliers, four seasons with the Heat and three seasons thus far with the Lakers.

In his second season with the Heat as a small forward in 2011-12, the 17-time All-Star player led the team to its second NBA championship title since 2006. He led the team in points, rebounds, assists, field goals and steals, and he also recorded the most points in the playoffs. In 2020, James played the role of point guard for the Lakers, where he led the team in points, assists, defensive rebounds, field goals and three-points. He registered the most assists in the league with an average of 10.2 assists per game.


#5 James Harden

James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during the second half of Game Two of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center on May 25, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during the second half of Game Two of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center on May 25, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

James Harden has spent 13 seasons in the NBA thus far, nine of which he represented the Rockets, three with the Oklahoma City Thunder and just recently with the Brooklyn Nets. He has played two different roles in the above franchises - shooting guard and point guard.

He recorded most of his achievements with the Rockets and rightfully so. In the 2017-18 season, he played the role of a shooting guard with the Rockets and had an amazing outing the entire season, leading the league in points and going on to win the NBA MVP award of the year. The nine-time All-Star led the league in the 2016-17 season in assists with a record 11.2 assists per game. He surpassed his career-high of 30.4 points per game in the 2018-19 season, registering 36.1 points per game, and he was also the league's scoring champion for three seasons consecutively (2018, 2019, 2020).

His time with OKC saw him play the shooting guard role and in 2011-12 he was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year after being the second-best on the team in three-points and third-best in points, assists, steals and field goals all in two starts out of 66 appearances.

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