It took only one game for the Houston Rockets to realize they had something special in James Harden. On a crisp October night, Harden made his debut for the Rockets in a 105-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons inside the Palace of Auburn Hills. He scored a game-high 37 points (14-25 FG, 4-10 3PT) to go along with a then-career-high 12 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals — becoming the first player in NBA history to record a 30-point double-double in a debut.
By the end of the 2012-13 season, the then 23-year-old prodigy proved he was worth every penny of the five-year $80 million contract extension that caused his jettison from the Oklahoma City Thunder.