Has Stephen Curry Passed Chris Paul as Best Point Guard?

The Golden State Warriors will rekindle their rivalry Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors are off their best start in franchise history at 12-0 and will look to continue their streak against their most hated rivals.

This matchup also features two of the best point guards in the NBA: Stephen Curry and Chris Paul. For years, Paul was looked at as the best point guard in the league but clearly Curry has taken over the that throne due to his amazing skill and his team winning an NBA championship. Paul has never even reached a conference finals, something he is looking to accomplish this season.

Curry is having another MVP-type season and may be even better. His confidence is at an all-time high and he is pretty much unguardable. To illustrate how incredible of a season he is having, Harrison Barnes made a remark on ESPN recently that seemed a little comical. He thought Curry could possibly repeat as MVP and win the Most Improved Player award. Crazy, right? But not inconceivable.

Curry has improved his shooting percentage from the field, three-point range and the foul line. He is grabbing more rebounds, playing better defensively (i.e. steals) and scoring more points. In his MVP season, Curry averaged 24 points per game but this season, he is averaging an outrageous 34 points per game, a ten-point increase.

The only statistical categories where he has “struggled” are assists and turnovers. His assists are down because he is shooting more and he should be because of his ridiculous shooting percentage. His turnovers are little troubling but if that is his only issue, the Warriors should be in great shape. With all those stats, Barnes may onto something.

Paul, on the other hand, is on the wrong side of 30. He has been battling injuries all season and is questionable for Thursday night’s tilt. Something tells me he will play because he relishes his matchups with Curry. The fellow Carolinians used to train with each other in the off-season until a few years ago, largely due to the intense rivalry between their teams. Paul would like nothing more than to beat Curry and his Warriors, halting their record streak and outplaying him in the process.

November 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Lawrence Frank (left) instructs guard Chris Paul (3) during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Two years ago, the Clippers, not the Warriors, were on their way to becoming the best team in the Pacific division. They were led by Paul along with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. They were the team that was supposed to take over that crown but instead, it was the Warriors and Curry that beat them to the punch. Now, the reigning NBA champions are playing better than ever, while the Clippers championship window is shrinking by the second. The Warriors are still young and primed to win even more championships while the Clippers are one of the oldest teams in the league.

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There is definitely some jealousy in Los Angeles of the Warriors because they thought they would be winning a championship, not the Warriors. The Warriors have become the darlings of the NBA because of their exciting play and humble team. The Clippers are one the most hated teams in the league because of their complaining and cockiness, even though they have never made it to a conference finals.

Thursday’s matchup will be nationally televised on TNT and there is no doubt we will be seeing both Curry and Paul in commercials throughout the night. Paul also used to be the king of commercials with his entertaining State Farm ads but now, like the title of best point guard, Curry may be the most marketable and popular player in the NBA.

Curry is sponsored by Apple, Under Armour, Unilever, Express, Muscle Milk and Paul’s endorser, State Farm. He has become the most unassuming superstar in the world of sports, which makes him so likable and is why he is so incredibly popular. Look for Curry to accumulate even more sponsors and become one of the most popular people in the world.