With James Harden playing the type of basketball Daryl Morey has touted for years, he perhaps is the star the most embodies the advanced-stats ethos.

"I would say it transcends that," Morey said. "That's making it too small. I think he's maybe the greatest off-the-dribble driver of all time, in terms of his ability to create offense at a high-efficiency rate for his team."

"James Harden was the perfect superstar for how I would like to coach," said Mike D'Antoni.

Morey gambled his future as a general manager on the Harden trade.

"People always ask, 'You traded for him; did you know he was this good?'" Morey said. "I'm like, 'F--k no!' I mean, we thought he was extremely good and better than other teams probably did."