76ers' James Harden on Doc Rivers' Magic Johnson Comparison: 'I'm James Harden'

There are far worse players to be compared to than the legendary Magic Johnson, but James Harden made it clear he is his own player.

"I'm James Harden," the Philadelphia 76ers guard told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. "I'm gonna get on Doc, too. But I'm James Harden. Magic Johnson was an unbelievable basketball player, done so many things for this league. But I'm James Harden."

Goodwill noted the comparison came up because Doc Rivers called the guard a "scoring Magic Johnson," even if the 76ers head coach wasn't even thrilled himself with the comparison he made.

Johnson—who is a Hall of Famer with a resume that includes three MVPs, three NBA Finals MVPs, four assist titles, 10 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Star nods—was best known for his brilliant passing and ability to direct the fast break during his time on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yet Harden believes he is a scorer first.

"I want to score. I want to score," Harden said. "My scoring makes my facilitating a lot better. Don't get that twisted. I want to score."

One glaring difference between the two players is their postseason success, as Johnson was a five-time champion known for his ability to come through in the biggest moments. Harden does not have a single title and has come up short in multiple closeout games throughout his career.

Perhaps he can change that as both a scorer and facilitator for a 76ers team that is 24-15 on the season with the chance to be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.