When it comes to point guards, Jalen Brunson is currently the talk of the town. It's not surprising, looking at Brunson's recent string of postseason games. In fact, some fans are going as far as including him in the “best point guard” discussion. That didn't sit well with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green though.
On an episode of The Draymond Green Show, one of the mailbag questions went as follows:
“Has Jalen Brunson become the best point guard in the NBA with his performances in the playoffs so far?” Green's co-host read.
“F**k no,” Green responded, visibly annoyed. “Steph Curry (is) in the NBA. Dude are you crazy? What? Come on. No, that's ridiculous.”
Curry vs. Brunson
It's no surprise that Green would vouch for his longtime teammate. Besides their shared history together, Stephen Curry still put up big numbers despite the Warriors' up-and-down year. During the regular season, Curry averaged 26.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Brunson's numbers do give Curry a run for his money, however. The New York Knicks star put up 28.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.6 boards during the team's 82-game campaign. Furthermore, as the mailbox question indicated, what's getting the attention of most fans are Brunson's playoff statistics.
In eight postseason games, he's boosted his averages to 35.6 points, 8.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds. Brunson had four straight 40-point games, spanning from Games 4, 5 and 6 of the Knicks' first-round series to Game 1 of their current series against the Indiana Pacers. His highest outing was during that said Game 4, where he put up a monster double-double of 47 points and 10 assists to give New York a 3-1 advantage over the Philadelphia 76ers.
It can also be noted that the Knicks entered the playoffs as the second seed in the East.
While this may all be impressive, one can argue that holding the “best point guard” title includes long-term performance and overall accolades. Looking at it from that perspective, then hands down, Stephen Curry takes the cake.
Brunson may be having his best year so far, but it remains to be seen if he can keep averaging elite-tier numbers four, five seasons down the road. Curry, on the other hand, has proven himself over and over throughout the years. The Warriors superstar is already 36 years old, but his shooting touch is as deadly as ever. And in terms of accolades, there's no need for a long explanation. Any basketball fan knows what Curry has achieved in the past decade.
A new era is on the rise
People will undoubtedly have varying opinions on the debate, but one thing's for sure: the league is in good hands. Point guards such as Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving are already in their 30s. Some of them have even seen a decline in their game. Nonetheless, the future looks bright.
Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Tyrese Haliburton are just some of the young names taking over at the PG position. As one era slowly heads to a close, another continues to blossom.
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