As if we didn’t really expect any of this from The Beard so early on in his pro career.

James Harden and fellow Oklahoma City Thunder rookies BJ Mullens and Robert Vaden are making their NBA debuts this week, albeit with the Thunder’s summer league team in Orlando.

OKC is 1-1 so far with a win over the Magic and a loss to the Indiana Pacers, but our Sun Devil has been stealing the show.

In the win over Orlando, Harden made an immediate splash, scoring 17 points and grabbing four rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench in the Thunder’s 88-77 win over Orlando. Pro scouts once again marveled at his ball handling ability and quick cuts to the rim.

Last night against Indiana, Harden ended playing more than anyone else not named Russell Westbrook and put in 19 while grabbing 5 boards and dishing out 3 assists in 36 minutes of action. The Thunder lost 91-88.

Chris Silva of Thunder.com is providing good coverage of Oklahoma City at the Orlando Summer League. We’ll try to keep you as updated as possible on James’ exploits.

As for Jeff Pendergraph, his summer league begins with the Portland Trail Blazers in Las Vegas on July 13. He’ll be joining Jerryd Bayless, Dante Cunningham and Patrick Mills on the Blazers squad in Sin City.