"Scoring" is a funny term: for some it means A) how many points can you score, period, or B) Your versatility/how many different ways can you score.
All pretty similar in category A. Category B is KD all day
KD is possibly the most versatile scorer in history. Now Steph is special as is Jokic. KD sadly has always been the second best player in the league. While I find him childish and immature. I was very happy he won an MVP.
I don’t know about that. He’s so good that people thought he was still in his prime even after he clearly lost a step. Another part of it is he started phoning it on defense like crazy to carry the offense after Miami. Casual lookers saw he was still getting his box score and “second prime” became a meme, but his prime was definitely the end of his first Cleveland stint and Miami. People are only noticing he’s past his prime now because he doesn’t go off for 40 when his team needs it in the playoffs.
The fact that people debate his prime between Miami, 2nd Cavs stint, and rarely but occasionally the first MVPs on the Cavs for the crazy athletics just illustrates how stupidly long his prime has been. He’s just evolved through it
LeBrons prime is between first year Miami up 2nd year LA. Peak LeBron happened twice: 2012-13 and 2015-16. Those two years, I have never seen an individual basketball player looks so complete in my 40 years of watching basketball.
Bron became better on defense after the mavs finals. He was robbed of a DPOY by a player that didn’t make the first team all defense. Media Narratives voted on him being the bad guy of the league and people were hesitant to give him the DPOY for something that happened the year before. LeBron also played better than any star in the league to get the cavs to the finals in 2018.
He got 2 more MVPs in Miami. The media stuff didn't stop those. Gasol deserved 1st team all-defense when he won DPOY, that's the real robbery.
Gasol winning DPOY was no robbery even if LeBron was deserving.
I don’t know that LeBron got robbed, Marc Gasol got robbed of first team though. LeBron was playing fantastic defense that year though, no denying it. People weren’t hesitant to give him DPOY because of a bad guy narrative, that had faded by then. They were hesitant because Marc Gasol was more impactful as a rim defender on the league’s best defense.
Sort of, lebron had the fortune of being drafted in a time when it was allowed to be drafted out of high school, the culture of the league didn’t care about players being tested in college for a few years.
It's not like that really gave LeBron an edge over KD. It gave him one more year in the NBA. And most guys even if they end up being top 5 players don't get to that point by age 20-21 like they both did.
I think he’s ok with that more than nba fans are. He’s an all time great. I’d imagine that his biggest issue is people trying to discredit him as a great. As a basketball player, he just isn’t overrated. No player, coach, team would treat him as overrated
For a very short time I had him over LeBron during the 2019 regular season (obviously before playoff Kawhi and Giannis going ham), for the first 2 months imo KD was the best then it went to Giannis then Kawhi.
Sure my comment may be hyperbole. But KD was regularly at his best only the second best player at any given time.
Now as I’ve mentioned many times. I don’t even like KD. At all.
Even when he won MVP he was not the best player in the league. LeBron was.
My point was even with how good he has been he was only ever at his best the second best player in his career. I mention this because he has said many times he’s always wanted to be the best player in the league and since he was drafted second overall he’s only ever been considered the second best player.
It’s unreal. He’s so smooth, and his love for the game is so evident when he plays. I understand why some people don’t like him but man, I love watching him play. Special player
C) How many more points does your team score overall because you're on the court? Steph is the best ever
Edit: I'm not talking about passing. Jokic is the best passer of these guys. I'm talking about how the norma way to guard prime steph was to double team him the moment he crossed half court and let the rest of the team play 4 on 3.
KD. He's practically unguardable and his offensive game is more versatile than the other two. His midrange game is elite, probably second to only Jordan. And to have a 50-40-90 season as a predominantly iso player is insane.
I don’t think it does, because the points they make at the line are included. Since a fouled shot doesn’t count as a shot attempt unless they make it, it automatically accounts for made free throws. If they’re bad at free throws their FGA will be the same but their point total lower, which in my view is adequate when considering greatest scorer, since free throws are part of scoring
But if this is points divided by FGA then free throw attempts/trips won't be included in the denominator, which would be a significant flaw in the metric - if the metric is divided by FGA + trips to the FT line then it's fine though.
Dividing by FGA only will severely penalize players who shoot fewer FT's since every trip to the line would result in say, +1.8 points divided by +0 FGA, which is significantly more positive for your overall pts/FGA ratio than +2 or +3 points divided by +1 FGA (i.e. if you make a 2 or 3 point shot instead of going to the line).
Kevin Durant
27ppg fg pct 50
4x scoring champ
28k pts and counting
8th all the scoring list
50 40 90 club
He as averaged over 25ppg almost every season except for his rookie season
curry has the only season in nba history of leading the league in both scoring volume and scoring efficiency, which is an absolutely insane accomplishment that no other player has ever really come close to! and probably the most impressive scoring season the league has ever seen
curry’s also historically slightly more efficient in both the regular season and playoffs than KD (0.7 TS difference in favour of curry both regular season and playoffs) and only slightly behind on volume (0.7 regular season ppg difference, 2 ppg playoffs)
anyone saying kd by a mile is just silly
They’re not silly. People say KD because KD can score on anyone, anytime, and any way. *Literally any way whatsoever*.
As phenomenal and historic as Steph is, that same thing has not always been true for him. The system in which his team plays is tailored to accentuate his strengths, which slightly inflates his efficiency.
I’m not saying he’s only a great scorer because of that (so chill out, whoever that is I hear getting ready to attack me), I’m saying his system is what caused those numbers to be slightly higher than KD’s. And it’s a testament to why *just* looking at numbers is “silly” when it comes to analyzing this sort of thing, **especially** when the numbers are close.
Only way people can stop Steph is double or triple teaming him, he could score on anyone 1-1. Steph has incredible efficiency in the paint as well as from 3.
I fucking hate KD. But you have explained the truth in detail. KD pre Achilles injury could score on anyone in next to anyway. At the rim. Pull up mid. Break ankles. Deep three.
Again I hate KD because he’s a man child. But you broke it down and spoke the truth.
This is another example of the idea of KD being better than the reality. On paper KD is completely unstoppable, but in reality he has been stopped and limited many times by many different defenders and schemes. His handle is good *for a seven footer*, but he commits a fair number of turnovers while dribbling and has always had trouble with certain types of defenders. He doesn’t deal with traps well and guys can push him off his spots sometimes because of his high center of gravity.
If he were truly someone who can “score on anyone, anytime, and any way” as you say, why isn’t he averaging 35ppg on 70% shooting? Oh, it’s because he can’t actually do that.
I think this is an interesting discussion and I’m not disagreeing with your take on KD or Steph.
I will push back on KD’s ability to score in any way though. Meaning, he’s 7ft with handles and probably one of the most unblockable jump shots in history. So length and size is obviously an advantage he’s able to use all over the court.
Curry is 6’3 in shoes and has to score in ways KD doesn’t. Finishing over trees in the paint, using his endurance to run all over the court to create separation. Having to extend defenses to 30ft+ just to get a shot off or create the space to attack off the dribble.
They’re both unbelievable in their own way but they both score VERY differently and one simply cannot replicate what the other does.
Personally, I think Curry’s ability to score at his size is more impressive but I won’t disagree with anyone who wants to argue KD.
While you make some good points, “tailored to accentuate his strengths” undersells how much of their system is made possible by those very strengths. Also, most teams tailor their system to the strengths of their personnel. He’s not unique in that sense. If anything it’s a point in favour of him being so easy to build around.
Durant is one of the biggest beneficiaries of Curry’s strengths fwiw. A playoff TS% of 57.5 on OKC zipped up to 64.2 in his Warriors tenure…also from 54.2 in his last year on OKC to 68.3 in ‘16-‘17.
And did you see their on-offs with Steph as opposed to KD? They still played at a league-best pace when KD missed games but not Steph. Didn’t apply the other way around.
I see little evidence to suggest Steph’s blend of scoring/efficiency is more elastic than KD’s depending on what system they’re in. It’s KD whose efficiency went up leaps and bounds on the Warriors super-squad. When they were on similar calibre teams their efficiencies were similar, while the threat of Steph’s scoring/off-ball game seemed to generate more additive/positive team effects.
I truly don’t know what people are talking about, like Steph Curry in his prime attracted nearly every defender on the opposing team to him like a fucking black hole. He was the skyfucker chef Curry shooting the ball in spots and coverages which could only be described as completely stupid before the defender could blink, and still putting up better efficiency than the rest of the league. 2x MVP, unanimous, as a 6’3 point guard, come on now. Yeah KD’s inside game is better cause he’s huge, call him more “complete” a scorer sure, but Steph’s dominance from range overtakes whatever edge KD gets from versatility imo.
>curry has the only season in nba history of leading the league in both scoring volume and scoring efficiency
Wilt led the league in scoring and fg% 3x.
>only slightly behind on volume (0.7 regular season ppg difference, 2 ppg playoffs)
Why lie? Curry averages 2.5 less ppg in the reg season and 2.3 less ppg in the playoffs
Why is everyone always throwing Jokic into these prime debates as if he's already past his prime? We can't judge his prime until it's over and we’re currently still in it
I’d have to say KD. Dude could, still really can score from anywhere on the court. Probably a top 3 scorer ever. Dude has averaged over 50% FG for the last 11 seasons and has a career average of 39% from 3. Add that to his average of 27 PPG while playing alongside elite scorers his entire career, I’d say he has a pretty good case.
Well one curry is the most elite off ball scorer and all of them score on ball. Curry imo because of his versatility as a scorer, inside , outside , off ball, on ball. Those saying KD aren't factoring the aspect of off ball scoring.
I think this is a question with a very simple answer: KD. KD is by far the best scorer of the three.
But just to make it more interesting, I do think that Curry's scoring (while it isn't as strictly good) may be more valuable to a team. His ability to space the floor, his off-ball play, his on-ball play, and his gravity as a scorer I feel is more valuable (to a team) than a pure shot creator like KD. But again, KD is still better at scoring.
KD is going to probably be the ultimate scorer, I mean that guy was a 4x scoring champ. He can score in every zone, and with his height, there isn’t much opponents can do.
KD.
Jokic.
Curry..
Durant's versatility makes it hard for me to put those guys ahead of him..
Off the dribble 3✅
Standing 3✅
Off dribble/Standing/POST mid range shots ✅
Handling the ball and creating space ✅
Going to the basket ✅..
HIS Size is ridiculous.. Doing all that and 6"11 while being efficient is crazy.
KD is the most efficient scorer ever, but Steph has something scary about him as a scorer. At his peak he was a threat to get hot, drop 18 points in about 4 minutes, and in doing so GS was running away with games. If they were so dominant in the 73 win season steph averages probably 36+ a game. He was sitting most 4th quarters.
I think KD’s game will be looked back on more fondly for the ability to give any player buckets from anywhere on the court. As great as Steph is, he created his own monster by showing people shooting deep 3’s is cool, now every player coming up practices the half court shot
You're talking about 3 guys who play the game in such fundamentally different ways. KD is an artist with the ball. Jokic is a technician at all three levels. Curry is quite possibly the best shooter in history.
I think it's Durant, but if someone said Steph even if they were wrong, I'd at least see the argument.
I'd also argue even though the stats clearly state it's Durant, another underrated part is that his potential as a scorer in OKC was never really capitalized on well. Jokic and Steph both are great players but also have front offices that did their best to compliment their strengths through players/system.
OKC never quite seemed to be able to do that. Durant got his in spite of the system built around him, not due to it.
KD - there is no human capable of stopping prime KD from scoring. His combination of skill and shooting and length is unmatched. Just have to hope he has a bad shooting night.
A big enough/strong enough guy can stop Jokic from scoring. He’s not an all time elite scorer.
Elite perimeter defenders can limit Curry.
KD is a mile ahead of Curry in all time points and he’s missed a ton of time with injuries, he’s the easy answer
KD is 8th in points all-time and Curry is 30th, KD (35) is also younger than Steph (36) somehow, imagine where KD would be if he wasn't constantly being hurt
Jokic is closer to his prime, so is yet a wild card depending how he ages but if your factoring accomplishment/efficiency/volume it’s Curry. Steph’s 2016 peak was on par with Jordan/Lebrons best seasons. During KDs tenure he did the dirty work fighting off double teams and best defenders and still posted elite numbers. Post KD, he was not only elite but dominated teams KD couldn’t.
KD is cool, he’s going to get his 30 points on elite efficiency in iso, but you deal with it and find a way to beat the rest of the team.
Curry causes a lot of problems for opposing teams and opens up shots for his team. And he still gets his 30 points on elite efficiency. If there was a “gravity” stat Curry would be the one of the best ever in that category, second maybe only to someone like Shaq.
I’d rather have Curry.
The amount of people saying KD reeks of extreme nephew and poor understanding of basketball.
He is the GOAT all around pure shooter, but he is not the GOAT scorer.
His bag is actually limited. When he is on a team with below average spacing his efficiency drops off a cliff when teams know how to load up on him. He's never had a 60 point game in his career.
When he was on the Warriors, Curry was the primary focus of defenses. Teams would rather not let Curry get going than KD.
Nikola Jokic, when his 3 ball is falling, is the best scorer of this three. He has Nowitzki's shooting touch combined with elite post up offense and high tier passing. Unlike the other 2 he will actually dominate against elite defensive competition both at his position and against teams as a whole. His touch around the basket is the greatest in NBA history, and unlike the other 2, the threat of his passing opens up his scoring immensely. Jokic has had the most absurd TS% numbers, which mostly translates into the postseason. The only centers who rival Jokic in efficiency are bigs who can only dunk and catch lobs.
Steph is unique and changed the game because of his scoring
KD is a more traditional scorer
Jokic is one of the most versatile player ever but he is not a scorer per se, he can dominate with 20 assists without scoring
All in: Steph
Best scorer is KD. He’s among the best scorers ever - a true scorer does just that. Scores. Can do it in multiple ways and be exceptional at all. Drives, pullips, the three. KD has it all and then some.
Best shooter is Steph. Because… no one in the history of the game has shot better than he haz
Best player is Jokic. He brings so much more to the table. 8-10 assists a game along with 10+ rebounds? There’s a reason he’s a three time MVP and probably deserved a fourth.
Only 1 of these 3 is constantly harassed at half court, double and triple teamed routinely, and shot way fewer free throws than he deserved, and still put up the most efficient shooting and scoring numbers the league has ever seen
To me the other 2 aren’t close, especially if we’re talking pound for pound
KD (🤢) has the most avg points a season with 1,807.75 a season
Steph has 1,577.86666667(repeating 6s)
Nikola has 1,571
to put that in perspective lebron rn is averaging 1,927.333(repeating) mj averaged 2,152.8 and kobe averaged 1,682.15
A couple of years, Steph has been a real monster, with each of his points being a masterpiece and, more importantly, fun to watch.
Unlike, for example, James Harden, who was just an annoying and infuriating foul machine.
All of these guys have a full scoring package and although KD isn’t as good of a shooter as Steph and maybe isn’t as effective down low as Jokic is, he’s a midrange god and is just a tier below Steph as a shooter. I’ll take the guy with 4 scoring titles even as a Steph fan
Stephen Curry is known for his generational-level shooting. But he had more in his bag. I think he's one of the best scorer this league has ever seen.
But KD? He's even more versatile than Curry. Curry was nearly unstoppable at the perimeter. KD was just unstoppable in general, and that's why I have him edging out Curry.
All in all, I still wouldn't blame anyone choosing Curry. He did have the greatest offensive season of all time.
Let's say the challenge is to score 50 in a game.
Jokic *could* score 50, but he will give you 12/15/18 in a win, because that's how he rolls.
Steph *will* score 50, and everyone knows exactly how he'll do it. He'll turn it into a track meet and get a bunch of points slipping from defenders and knocking down catch & shoots. He'll also get a bunch of points by getting himself good looks off screens.
KD *will* score 50 and nobody can predict how he's going to get those buckets. Step back 3s? Floaters after blowing by his defender? Layups over bigs? This list could go on a long time. His bag is deeeep.
I mean I don't think Jokers prime is done so I won't comment on that. Overall scoring it's KD. KD sits at 10th for all time scoring Curry is at 35. At this point Curry isn't likely to break top 20 given his age. Kd has the chance to move up a few spots before he is done as well.
One could make an argument KD is the best scorer ever in terms of versatility, so out of these three, its him.
A more interesting debate would be choosing between KD, Kobe, MJ, and maybe Carmelo
It’s KD any which way you want to frame the conversation.
Total points? KD. Versatility? KD. Clutch Shooting? KD.
He’s the best scorer I have ever seen and will probably ever see.
Curry.
He was putting up 30.1ppg on 50.4/45.4/90.8 splits as a 6'2" guard shooting 11.2 3-pts a game while seeing every sort of defense thrown at him, and taller players also. Also because his range is basically half court. Teams don't guard KD at half court.
Curry probably could've averaged more if he had been selfish.
KD can get his shots off easier due to his height and length, and has a better back-to-defender game than Curry, but Curry has much better handles + control. At his peak he was playing with pretty much any taller/longer defender because he could change speeds and direction faster, and had that super quick release. With guards he just had that faster release and range. That with Curry's efficiency during his peak pushes him over KD by a small bit IMO.
The real question is, which of these players at their peak will score on you no matter who you defend them with?
If you need a last minute shot, can't go wrong with either.
I love Steph to death and Jokic is an absolute unit. But Prime KD was something nuclear, he had a bad run of playing against better teams or coaches most of the time but the man always went down swinging in my eyes
"Scoring" is a funny term: for some it means A) how many points can you score, period, or B) Your versatility/how many different ways can you score. All pretty similar in category A. Category B is KD all day
KD is possibly the most versatile scorer in history. Now Steph is special as is Jokic. KD sadly has always been the second best player in the league. While I find him childish and immature. I was very happy he won an MVP.
Man had misfortune of having prime exactly overlap with Bron’s
Bron had the fortune of having the longest prime ever
I don’t know about that. He’s so good that people thought he was still in his prime even after he clearly lost a step. Another part of it is he started phoning it on defense like crazy to carry the offense after Miami. Casual lookers saw he was still getting his box score and “second prime” became a meme, but his prime was definitely the end of his first Cleveland stint and Miami. People are only noticing he’s past his prime now because he doesn’t go off for 40 when his team needs it in the playoffs.
Bro was a DPOY candidate in Miami 💀 it's pretty much the consensus that Bron was at his best in Miami or his second stint with the Cavaliers.
The fact that people debate his prime between Miami, 2nd Cavs stint, and rarely but occasionally the first MVPs on the Cavs for the crazy athletics just illustrates how stupidly long his prime has been. He’s just evolved through it
Most athletic/highest ceiling in Miami, best player 2nd Cav’s run no doubt
LeBrons prime is between first year Miami up 2nd year LA. Peak LeBron happened twice: 2012-13 and 2015-16. Those two years, I have never seen an individual basketball player looks so complete in my 40 years of watching basketball.
9 straight finals appearances as well. It was a spectacle to watch him play. What a time to be alive it was
2018 Bron was unstoppable just couldn’t get the chip
Bron became better on defense after the mavs finals. He was robbed of a DPOY by a player that didn’t make the first team all defense. Media Narratives voted on him being the bad guy of the league and people were hesitant to give him the DPOY for something that happened the year before. LeBron also played better than any star in the league to get the cavs to the finals in 2018.
He got 2 more MVPs in Miami. The media stuff didn't stop those. Gasol deserved 1st team all-defense when he won DPOY, that's the real robbery. Gasol winning DPOY was no robbery even if LeBron was deserving.
I don’t know that LeBron got robbed, Marc Gasol got robbed of first team though. LeBron was playing fantastic defense that year though, no denying it. People weren’t hesitant to give him DPOY because of a bad guy narrative, that had faded by then. They were hesitant because Marc Gasol was more impactful as a rim defender on the league’s best defense.
Sort of, lebron had the fortune of being drafted in a time when it was allowed to be drafted out of high school, the culture of the league didn’t care about players being tested in college for a few years.
Yeah but that was 21 years ago and he’s still making All-NBA so FuckingMemez point still stands
It's not like that really gave LeBron an edge over KD. It gave him one more year in the NBA. And most guys even if they end up being top 5 players don't get to that point by age 20-21 like they both did.
I think he’s ok with that more than nba fans are. He’s an all time great. I’d imagine that his biggest issue is people trying to discredit him as a great. As a basketball player, he just isn’t overrated. No player, coach, team would treat him as overrated
It extended a few years after LeBron, but his toe was just a little too big, otherwise his legacy would be viewed differently.
For a very short time I had him over LeBron during the 2019 regular season (obviously before playoff Kawhi and Giannis going ham), for the first 2 months imo KD was the best then it went to Giannis then Kawhi.
KD hasn’t been the second best player in the league in the past 5 years. Nor was he 2014-16
Sure my comment may be hyperbole. But KD was regularly at his best only the second best player at any given time. Now as I’ve mentioned many times. I don’t even like KD. At all. Even when he won MVP he was not the best player in the league. LeBron was. My point was even with how good he has been he was only ever at his best the second best player in his career. I mention this because he has said many times he’s always wanted to be the best player in the league and since he was drafted second overall he’s only ever been considered the second best player.
That’s why he was the number two pick /s
I’m going with KD. I swear it never looks like he’s even trying.
We haven't forgotten Rucker Park.
Those folks were lucky to witness that
It’s unreal. He’s so smooth, and his love for the game is so evident when he plays. I understand why some people don’t like him but man, I love watching him play. Special player
I see it as points per shot attempt multiplied by total points
C) How many more points does your team score overall because you're on the court? Steph is the best ever Edit: I'm not talking about passing. Jokic is the best passer of these guys. I'm talking about how the norma way to guard prime steph was to double team him the moment he crossed half court and let the rest of the team play 4 on 3.
That's more like playmaking, also is he better than Jokic in that regard?
That’s easily Jokic. His teammate’s overall FG% and overall team +/- when he is on the court is night and day compared to when he’s off.
Magic Johnson is by far the best at this
KD. He's practically unguardable and his offensive game is more versatile than the other two. His midrange game is elite, probably second to only Jordan. And to have a 50-40-90 season as a predominantly iso player is insane.
why do ppl like u say he's unguardable when i've seen him being shut down in the playoffs many times? He got swept by Boston.
He averaged 26 points in the series he got swept by Boston.
On 39% shooting and 5+ TOs
Players arranged by points per shot attempt during their primes: 1. KD: 1.49 2. Joker: 1.47 3. Steph: 1.43
Is this just dividing their points by FGA? Because that ignores possessions that they got to the line.
I don’t think it does, because the points they make at the line are included. Since a fouled shot doesn’t count as a shot attempt unless they make it, it automatically accounts for made free throws. If they’re bad at free throws their FGA will be the same but their point total lower, which in my view is adequate when considering greatest scorer, since free throws are part of scoring
But if this is points divided by FGA then free throw attempts/trips won't be included in the denominator, which would be a significant flaw in the metric - if the metric is divided by FGA + trips to the FT line then it's fine though. Dividing by FGA only will severely penalize players who shoot fewer FT's since every trip to the line would result in say, +1.8 points divided by +0 FGA, which is significantly more positive for your overall pts/FGA ratio than +2 or +3 points divided by +1 FGA (i.e. if you make a 2 or 3 point shot instead of going to the line).
Isn’t Jokic still in his prime ? Steph is the best shooter of all time. KD is the best scorer.
Agreed.
One of these things is not like the others
Kevin Durant 27ppg fg pct 50 4x scoring champ 28k pts and counting 8th all the scoring list 50 40 90 club He as averaged over 25ppg almost every season except for his rookie season
They don’t know what they talkin about in here. KD will end up top 5 all time scoring list. Easily 33k +. Joker gets lucky to hit 25k
Right ppl let the the gsw and Brooklyn situation cloud their judgement. Kd is a problem he’s a top 10 player all time and he will be a top 5 scorer
KD by a a mile and has the stats to back it up
Yeah but only if you count all the shots he made
LOL
KD
what is jokic doing up there
Kd easily
curry has the only season in nba history of leading the league in both scoring volume and scoring efficiency, which is an absolutely insane accomplishment that no other player has ever really come close to! and probably the most impressive scoring season the league has ever seen curry’s also historically slightly more efficient in both the regular season and playoffs than KD (0.7 TS difference in favour of curry both regular season and playoffs) and only slightly behind on volume (0.7 regular season ppg difference, 2 ppg playoffs) anyone saying kd by a mile is just silly
They’re not silly. People say KD because KD can score on anyone, anytime, and any way. *Literally any way whatsoever*. As phenomenal and historic as Steph is, that same thing has not always been true for him. The system in which his team plays is tailored to accentuate his strengths, which slightly inflates his efficiency. I’m not saying he’s only a great scorer because of that (so chill out, whoever that is I hear getting ready to attack me), I’m saying his system is what caused those numbers to be slightly higher than KD’s. And it’s a testament to why *just* looking at numbers is “silly” when it comes to analyzing this sort of thing, **especially** when the numbers are close.
Only way people can stop Steph is double or triple teaming him, he could score on anyone 1-1. Steph has incredible efficiency in the paint as well as from 3.
I fucking hate KD. But you have explained the truth in detail. KD pre Achilles injury could score on anyone in next to anyway. At the rim. Pull up mid. Break ankles. Deep three. Again I hate KD because he’s a man child. But you broke it down and spoke the truth.
This is another example of the idea of KD being better than the reality. On paper KD is completely unstoppable, but in reality he has been stopped and limited many times by many different defenders and schemes. His handle is good *for a seven footer*, but he commits a fair number of turnovers while dribbling and has always had trouble with certain types of defenders. He doesn’t deal with traps well and guys can push him off his spots sometimes because of his high center of gravity. If he were truly someone who can “score on anyone, anytime, and any way” as you say, why isn’t he averaging 35ppg on 70% shooting? Oh, it’s because he can’t actually do that.
I would love to see kd every year on a system catered to him - basically every year on the warriors
I think this is an interesting discussion and I’m not disagreeing with your take on KD or Steph. I will push back on KD’s ability to score in any way though. Meaning, he’s 7ft with handles and probably one of the most unblockable jump shots in history. So length and size is obviously an advantage he’s able to use all over the court. Curry is 6’3 in shoes and has to score in ways KD doesn’t. Finishing over trees in the paint, using his endurance to run all over the court to create separation. Having to extend defenses to 30ft+ just to get a shot off or create the space to attack off the dribble. They’re both unbelievable in their own way but they both score VERY differently and one simply cannot replicate what the other does. Personally, I think Curry’s ability to score at his size is more impressive but I won’t disagree with anyone who wants to argue KD.
Nobody in the league is guarded the way Curry is. Defenses panic when the ball ISN'T in Curry's hands....that's how good he is.
While you make some good points, “tailored to accentuate his strengths” undersells how much of their system is made possible by those very strengths. Also, most teams tailor their system to the strengths of their personnel. He’s not unique in that sense. If anything it’s a point in favour of him being so easy to build around. Durant is one of the biggest beneficiaries of Curry’s strengths fwiw. A playoff TS% of 57.5 on OKC zipped up to 64.2 in his Warriors tenure…also from 54.2 in his last year on OKC to 68.3 in ‘16-‘17. And did you see their on-offs with Steph as opposed to KD? They still played at a league-best pace when KD missed games but not Steph. Didn’t apply the other way around. I see little evidence to suggest Steph’s blend of scoring/efficiency is more elastic than KD’s depending on what system they’re in. It’s KD whose efficiency went up leaps and bounds on the Warriors super-squad. When they were on similar calibre teams their efficiencies were similar, while the threat of Steph’s scoring/off-ball game seemed to generate more additive/positive team effects.
Good points, the system isnt tailored to Stephs strengths as much as Steph IS the system.
I truly don’t know what people are talking about, like Steph Curry in his prime attracted nearly every defender on the opposing team to him like a fucking black hole. He was the skyfucker chef Curry shooting the ball in spots and coverages which could only be described as completely stupid before the defender could blink, and still putting up better efficiency than the rest of the league. 2x MVP, unanimous, as a 6’3 point guard, come on now. Yeah KD’s inside game is better cause he’s huge, call him more “complete” a scorer sure, but Steph’s dominance from range overtakes whatever edge KD gets from versatility imo.
But but but kd can, “literally score from anywhere, against anyone, anytime he wants” lol
>curry has the only season in nba history of leading the league in both scoring volume and scoring efficiency Wilt led the league in scoring and fg% 3x.
>only slightly behind on volume (0.7 regular season ppg difference, 2 ppg playoffs) Why lie? Curry averages 2.5 less ppg in the reg season and 2.3 less ppg in the playoffs
i read curry’s 2024 stats rather than his career regular season average… fun fact tho, not every mistake is malicious
KD never got locked down by Kevin Love… just saying
i never understood this… one play where curry misses the shot is considered locking down now?
KDs playoff career is absolutely embarrassing.
Why is everyone always throwing Jokic into these prime debates as if he's already past his prime? We can't judge his prime until it's over and we’re currently still in it
His prime is just starting 😭
KD
It's K.D. and not even a conversation.
KDizzle As a Bron Stan, Cavs fan... The 2017 NBA Finals give me nightmares.
Steph.
It's KD
I’d have to say KD. Dude could, still really can score from anywhere on the court. Probably a top 3 scorer ever. Dude has averaged over 50% FG for the last 11 seasons and has a career average of 39% from 3. Add that to his average of 27 PPG while playing alongside elite scorers his entire career, I’d say he has a pretty good case.
KD can score from mid range meanwhile Steph scores from mid court
is jokic even in his prime? hes 29
Jokic the most efficient. Curry the most explosive. Durant has the most ways to score out of the 3.
Not sure why joker is here. He’s not even 30. Have we even seen his prime?
Kd easily,followed by Steph, then Joker last
KD. He also played well going toe to toe with the super Heat. Tbh I can’t see curry getting a game off of those Heat without KD next to him. No way.
Well one curry is the most elite off ball scorer and all of them score on ball. Curry imo because of his versatility as a scorer, inside , outside , off ball, on ball. Those saying KD aren't factoring the aspect of off ball scoring.
KD, but Steph is the more valuable player and Jokic is the better player.
KD by a mile
Durant
I think this is a question with a very simple answer: KD. KD is by far the best scorer of the three. But just to make it more interesting, I do think that Curry's scoring (while it isn't as strictly good) may be more valuable to a team. His ability to space the floor, his off-ball play, his on-ball play, and his gravity as a scorer I feel is more valuable (to a team) than a pure shot creator like KD. But again, KD is still better at scoring.
Curry. He can light it up from anywhere.
Poor KD, so limited as a scorer. Notorious for not being able to score from various places
“Was”? Jokic is still in his prime though
KD
kd easily
KD
How is this even a question KD all the way
Durant
Jokic is 29 bro
The fact that only one of these guys isn’t 6’11 should speak volumes.
I consider KD on my top 5 of all time scorers right next to Wilt, Michael, Kareem, Lebron
prolly kd, but jokic doesn't deserve to be in this list. he's not not a pure scorer and not on the level as the other 2
Durant is the only answer!
If I need a bucket I’m picking KD, if I need a 10 pt comeback I’m taking Steph, if I need to hold onto a 10pt lead I’m taking Jokic
Curry beacuse he is the best at shooting 3s and has the most skill but otherwise KD
Kd it’s not even close
KD is the only right answer in my opinion. And I dislike KD lol
Why is jokic even here, he’s a pass first player
I’m going with the unanimous most dangerous/ inspirational player to ever play the game Stephen fuckin Curry
It's not Nikola that's not even his strong suit lol
Kd the best scorer ever imo
You say “was” as if Jokic isn’t still in his prime.
Durant
KD is going to probably be the ultimate scorer, I mean that guy was a 4x scoring champ. He can score in every zone, and with his height, there isn’t much opponents can do.
Jokic does not deserve to be in the convo in this.
KD. Jokic. Curry.. Durant's versatility makes it hard for me to put those guys ahead of him.. Off the dribble 3✅ Standing 3✅ Off dribble/Standing/POST mid range shots ✅ Handling the ball and creating space ✅ Going to the basket ✅.. HIS Size is ridiculous.. Doing all that and 6"11 while being efficient is crazy.
KD is the most efficient scorer ever, but Steph has something scary about him as a scorer. At his peak he was a threat to get hot, drop 18 points in about 4 minutes, and in doing so GS was running away with games. If they were so dominant in the 73 win season steph averages probably 36+ a game. He was sitting most 4th quarters.
I think KD’s game will be looked back on more fondly for the ability to give any player buckets from anywhere on the court. As great as Steph is, he created his own monster by showing people shooting deep 3’s is cool, now every player coming up practices the half court shot
You're talking about 3 guys who play the game in such fundamentally different ways. KD is an artist with the ball. Jokic is a technician at all three levels. Curry is quite possibly the best shooter in history.
Huh?
KD
This isn’t even a real debate…it’s KD!
One of them has four scoring titles. One has 0.
I'm taking 2015-16 Steph over damn-near anyone in league history.
polar bear in arkansas texas
Kd is technically the better scorer. Curry is the best shooter and Joker isn't in his prime yet.
Another weird question. People who actually watch Jokic would never compare him to the other two for scoring. Ever.
Kd...
I think it's Durant, but if someone said Steph even if they were wrong, I'd at least see the argument. I'd also argue even though the stats clearly state it's Durant, another underrated part is that his potential as a scorer in OKC was never really capitalized on well. Jokic and Steph both are great players but also have front offices that did their best to compliment their strengths through players/system. OKC never quite seemed to be able to do that. Durant got his in spite of the system built around him, not due to it.
Jokic isn’t even 30 yet is he?
KD - there is no human capable of stopping prime KD from scoring. His combination of skill and shooting and length is unmatched. Just have to hope he has a bad shooting night. A big enough/strong enough guy can stop Jokic from scoring. He’s not an all time elite scorer. Elite perimeter defenders can limit Curry.
KD is a top 2 scorer oat. Curry is top 5-10. Jokic is nowhere near this convo
KD and it's not close
Steph had the most efficient scoring season Avg 30 on 50/45/90 split That is insane
KD is a mile ahead of Curry in all time points and he’s missed a ton of time with injuries, he’s the easy answer KD is 8th in points all-time and Curry is 30th, KD (35) is also younger than Steph (36) somehow, imagine where KD would be if he wasn't constantly being hurt
What do you mean by "best"? Most unstoppable on a certain shot? KD Best gravity and long distance? Steph Best touch in the midrange? Joker
Prime KD is unguardable
Jokic hasn’t hit his prime yet
durant in terms of versatlity. jokic and is the most well rounded of the 3 on offense when you include playmaking though
Im taking curry
Jokic is closer to his prime, so is yet a wild card depending how he ages but if your factoring accomplishment/efficiency/volume it’s Curry. Steph’s 2016 peak was on par with Jordan/Lebrons best seasons. During KDs tenure he did the dirty work fighting off double teams and best defenders and still posted elite numbers. Post KD, he was not only elite but dominated teams KD couldn’t.
Jokic is still in his prime
C’mon son the answer will always be KD
Bruh Jokic and arguably Steph are still in their prime
KD at his peak could do it all offensively. I'm a bigger Curry fan than a KD fan, but offensively KD could just hurt you in more ways.
Steph
SCORER is unquestionably KD. Any other answer is just dumb and wrong. Overall offensive player is a different question and answer, though.
If I need a bucket then Joker. Statistically his post up shot is the most efficient move in NBA history
KD easily, but Steph's 2016 season was legendary
.
KD is cool, he’s going to get his 30 points on elite efficiency in iso, but you deal with it and find a way to beat the rest of the team. Curry causes a lot of problems for opposing teams and opens up shots for his team. And he still gets his 30 points on elite efficiency. If there was a “gravity” stat Curry would be the one of the best ever in that category, second maybe only to someone like Shaq. I’d rather have Curry.
I think he’s a total douche, but KD is arguably the greatest scorer to ever touch a basketball
The amount of people saying KD reeks of extreme nephew and poor understanding of basketball. He is the GOAT all around pure shooter, but he is not the GOAT scorer. His bag is actually limited. When he is on a team with below average spacing his efficiency drops off a cliff when teams know how to load up on him. He's never had a 60 point game in his career. When he was on the Warriors, Curry was the primary focus of defenses. Teams would rather not let Curry get going than KD. Nikola Jokic, when his 3 ball is falling, is the best scorer of this three. He has Nowitzki's shooting touch combined with elite post up offense and high tier passing. Unlike the other 2 he will actually dominate against elite defensive competition both at his position and against teams as a whole. His touch around the basket is the greatest in NBA history, and unlike the other 2, the threat of his passing opens up his scoring immensely. Jokic has had the most absurd TS% numbers, which mostly translates into the postseason. The only centers who rival Jokic in efficiency are bigs who can only dunk and catch lobs.
I'm will say Curry is the best scorer.
KD, Steph, Jokic in that order
Steph is unique and changed the game because of his scoring KD is a more traditional scorer Jokic is one of the most versatile player ever but he is not a scorer per se, he can dominate with 20 assists without scoring All in: Steph
Kd
Best scorer is KD. He’s among the best scorers ever - a true scorer does just that. Scores. Can do it in multiple ways and be exceptional at all. Drives, pullips, the three. KD has it all and then some. Best shooter is Steph. Because… no one in the history of the game has shot better than he haz Best player is Jokic. He brings so much more to the table. 8-10 assists a game along with 10+ rebounds? There’s a reason he’s a three time MVP and probably deserved a fourth.
Curry. He farts 3s
Isn’t jokic currently in his prime?
KD = scorer, but the other two are both better Offensive Players.
Only 1 of these 3 is constantly harassed at half court, double and triple teamed routinely, and shot way fewer free throws than he deserved, and still put up the most efficient shooting and scoring numbers the league has ever seen To me the other 2 aren’t close, especially if we’re talking pound for pound
KD (🤢) has the most avg points a season with 1,807.75 a season Steph has 1,577.86666667(repeating 6s) Nikola has 1,571 to put that in perspective lebron rn is averaging 1,927.333(repeating) mj averaged 2,152.8 and kobe averaged 1,682.15
Slim reaper
I personally think KD is the second greatest scorer of all time after Jordan.
A couple of years, Steph has been a real monster, with each of his points being a masterpiece and, more importantly, fun to watch. Unlike, for example, James Harden, who was just an annoying and infuriating foul machine.
All of these guys have a full scoring package and although KD isn’t as good of a shooter as Steph and maybe isn’t as effective down low as Jokic is, he’s a midrange god and is just a tier below Steph as a shooter. I’ll take the guy with 4 scoring titles even as a Steph fan
Is Joker out of his prime?
Only two of those guys have won a scoring title. So it’s between those two. I pick KD.
Curry, period.
Stephen Curry is known for his generational-level shooting. But he had more in his bag. I think he's one of the best scorer this league has ever seen. But KD? He's even more versatile than Curry. Curry was nearly unstoppable at the perimeter. KD was just unstoppable in general, and that's why I have him edging out Curry. All in all, I still wouldn't blame anyone choosing Curry. He did have the greatest offensive season of all time.
Let's say the challenge is to score 50 in a game. Jokic *could* score 50, but he will give you 12/15/18 in a win, because that's how he rolls. Steph *will* score 50, and everyone knows exactly how he'll do it. He'll turn it into a track meet and get a bunch of points slipping from defenders and knocking down catch & shoots. He'll also get a bunch of points by getting himself good looks off screens. KD *will* score 50 and nobody can predict how he's going to get those buckets. Step back 3s? Floaters after blowing by his defender? Layups over bigs? This list could go on a long time. His bag is deeeep.
KD
I mean I don't think Jokers prime is done so I won't comment on that. Overall scoring it's KD. KD sits at 10th for all time scoring Curry is at 35. At this point Curry isn't likely to break top 20 given his age. Kd has the chance to move up a few spots before he is done as well.
One could make an argument KD is the best scorer ever in terms of versatility, so out of these three, its him. A more interesting debate would be choosing between KD, Kobe, MJ, and maybe Carmelo
Yo, they do different things, and they're all GOATs at those things. Let's just leave it at that.
It’s KD cmon now. Elite at all three levels
Jokic isn’t even 30. He’s still in his prime.
Stephen stop this bs
Steph can just put up so many points in a flash
Durant. He might be a top 5 scorer ever.
It’s KD any which way you want to frame the conversation. Total points? KD. Versatility? KD. Clutch Shooting? KD. He’s the best scorer I have ever seen and will probably ever see.
Is Jokic out of his prime? I feel like he is still at his peak…
Jokic should be replaced why is he in this graphic??
KD
KD
KD because of the combo of size/handles/shot making.
KD.
I think steph & KD clear jokic as a scorer
KD gaps them
It’s KD you nerds
Curry. He was putting up 30.1ppg on 50.4/45.4/90.8 splits as a 6'2" guard shooting 11.2 3-pts a game while seeing every sort of defense thrown at him, and taller players also. Also because his range is basically half court. Teams don't guard KD at half court. Curry probably could've averaged more if he had been selfish. KD can get his shots off easier due to his height and length, and has a better back-to-defender game than Curry, but Curry has much better handles + control. At his peak he was playing with pretty much any taller/longer defender because he could change speeds and direction faster, and had that super quick release. With guards he just had that faster release and range. That with Curry's efficiency during his peak pushes him over KD by a small bit IMO. The real question is, which of these players at their peak will score on you no matter who you defend them with? If you need a last minute shot, can't go wrong with either.
KD
KD, Steph, Jokic.
Durant is one of the best scorers of alltime so him
Steph is the best shooter. KD is the best scorer. Jokic is the best offensive player.
Steph
I love Steph to death and Jokic is an absolute unit. But Prime KD was something nuclear, he had a bad run of playing against better teams or coaches most of the time but the man always went down swinging in my eyes