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Warriors Rankings: Stephen Curry Among Elite, Could Be Higher

By Michael Shultz

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Sports Illustrated came out with their annual player ranking for 2016 and the Golden State Warriors were shown lots of love. The Warriors had five players in the top 100 including Andrew Bogut (#76), Andre Iguodala (#44), Klay Thompson (#26), Draymond Green (#16) and Stephen Curry (#4). The only players ahead of the reigning MVP were LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant. James and Davis are undoubtedly the best players in the NBA but there should be some debate about that third position between Durant and Curry even though Sports Illustrated had Durant ranked #2.

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Curry is the reigning MVP, proving himself worthy of the award with his incredible performance during the Warriors’ historic postseason run, culminating in a championship. Curry was unstoppable, hitting a record-setting amount of three-pointers and crossing over everyone that attempted to guard him. During his run, he beat the remaining four players from the All-NBA First Team. In the first round, his first victim was Davis, sweeping the Pelicans in four games. In the Conference Semifinals, he took out Marc Gasol (#9), the most skilled center in the NBA, and the Grizzlies in six games. In the Conference Finals, he beat his rival and MVP runner-up, James Harden (#5) in five games in a hard fought series. His last victim and most satisfying win was against James in six games, giving the Warriors their first championship in 40 years.

Durant, unfortunately, had his season cut short due to multiple injuries to his ankle but when he played, he showed his elite status. Playing alongside Russell Westbrook (#7), the Thunder were pretty much unstoppable. Westbrook’s aggressiveness and Durant’s unbelievable scoring ability made them a nightmare for any team to defend. But unfortunately, the Thunder did not make the playoffs because of Durant’s injuries and despite Westbrook’s amazing run. In 2015-16 season, the Thunder will be a team looking to prove that they are as good or better than any other team in this league including the Warriors.

Both Durant and Curry’s offensive games are two of the best in the league with both players able to score at will. They both shoot the ball extremely well, have high basketball IQs, are improving defenders and lead by example. Durant gets the rim more often than Curry but no one has the dribbling skills possessed by Curry. Durant is the best scorer in the game but no one has a sweeter jumper than Curry. In almost every offensive category, both of these players are at the top but Curry should be higher than Durant because of one thing: flair.

Curry is the most creative player in this game whether it is his ball-handling, behind-the-back distribution or his incredible shooting ability. While Durant has some of this, he does not come close to Curry’s flair. Curry is the best shooter in the game and may be the best shooter ever. His clutch play rivals Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller, which was not illustrated more than in the Warriors’ incredible championship run. He hit clutch shots in every series from his corner-three in New Orleans, three-quarters heave in Memphis, his running dialogue with Houston fans after striping threes or his incredible performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, no one is more clutch than Curry.

Durant does not have these types of postseason moments, at least, not yet and coming off a major injury will not be easy to return to his previous elite status. He dealt with his injury all season and as Warriors fans have seen, ankle injuries can linger throughout a career i.e. Curry’s ankle injuries. But unlike Curry, Durant is almost 7 foot tall and injuries to players his size can derail a career i.e. Yao Ming, Greg Oden and Anderson Varejao so this injury should extremely concerning to the Thunder.

He will also have to compete with Westbrook for top dog in Oklahoma City, something Curry will never have to worry about because his teammates know he is the best player and will sacrifice their games to ensure his status. Will Durant return to his elite status? Probably but Curry will continue to improve and hopefully bring multiple championships to the bay.

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