What backcourt is considered the best in the NBA heading into the upcoming season?
That’s the question in the minds of many this week, including the players themselves. For example, John Wall and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards openly stated that they are the best backcourt duo in the league on Tuesday. Dion Waiters of the Cleveland Cavaliers disagreed, word got back to Wall, and then the fun back and forth ensued between the two. Waiters got the final word, but only because he used twitter to do so.
So were these guys justified in believing what they were selling to the media? Are they even in the top three? Not according to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, who broke down in detail the top 10 best backcourts in the league. Here are his thoughts on Kyrie Irving and Waiters, who were ranked 10th overall:
If he were more than a 43.3 percent shooter from the field, that might not have been an issue. But Waiters, to this point, has looked very much like a J.R. Smith clone (minus the pretty form and spot-up accuracy).
… like Waiters, Irving doesn’t always display the best vision.
He constantly missed open shooters and cutters in transition during the FIBA World Cup in Spain, which was mildly alarming for those hoping Irving would defer more readily when surrounded by elite teammates. Of course, those shortcomings didn’t stop him from winning tournament MVP, so it’s hard to be too critical.
Tenth is probably too low for these two. Last season should be looked as more of a mirage than trend, given the lack of continuity and schemes the team had on the offensive end, no thanks to Mike Brown. Too often, Irving dribbled the ball endlessly right into trouble as teammates often watched without anywhere near enough off-the-ball action. His shots were frequently of the contested variety, meaning ones he should have avoided as much as possible. All of that will certainly change this season. Remember, we are talking about a very young player who was approaching comparability to Stephen Curry in terms of overall shooting ability in the first two years of his career.
Meanwhile, Waiters struggled in a bench role, but thrived as a starter last season. After the All-Star break, the shooting guard scored 19.3 points on a solid 46 percent shooting from the field. He showed that, given an opportunity, he can be a highly-effective player.
With better teammates and structure, Irving and Waiters certainly have the opportunity to shine this season, although their overall numbers will be deflated due to all the talent on the roster.
As for Wall and Beal, they were ranked fourth overall:
Wall improved his shooting last season, but not to the degree everyone seems to think. Though he shot 35.1 percent on 308 attempts from distance last year, crushing his 2012-13 numbers of 26.7 percent on only 45 attempts, the net improvement in his overall shooting accuracy was minimal.
His true shooting percentage went from 52.1 percent in 2012-13 to 52.4 percent in 2013-14, per Basketball-Reference. His win shares per 48 minutes actually declined.
Beal is an exceptionally promising talent, a terrific shooter with a pure stroke and an emerging off-the-dribble game. There’s little doubt he’ll mature into one of the league’s better off guards eventually. But at 21, Beal has a ways to go yet.
His PER was a below-average 14.3 last year, per Basketball-Reference, and for all the promise his shooting form offers from long range, he still converted on just 41.9 percent of his attempts from the field a year ago.
The No. 1 ranked duo was Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, and I would have to agree with that notion. They had the opportunity to play for Team USA in the summer, giving them an edge heading into the season both physically and mentally. Not surprisingly, both have been the standouts in training camp so far, according to new head coach Steve Kerr.
Curry chimed in on the whole backcourt debate, and it’s not hard to guess what he had to say about it all. Rusty Simmons of San Francisco Chronicle has details:
Curry on Beal and John Wall being the league’s best backcourt: “What was he supposed to say? I would have said the same thing (about us). It was just like the thing with LeBron this summer. What are you supposed to say? I would say we’re the best backcourt. He’s going to say it. Russell (Westbrook) said he was the best PG yesterday. Everybody has got to be confident. If he would have said he had the second-best backcourt in the league, I probably would have gone over there and ragged on him all day.”
For what it’s worth, Jerry West also believes Curry and Thompson are the best combination in the league. More from Simmons:
I saw USA Today said we have the best backcourt, and I truly believe that.
On Klay Thompson: “His improvement is remarkable. I suggested to him at the end of last year to get leaner. He’s big, but he’s getting into the lane. He was getting in the lane all day. I talked to some people who were involved with USA basketball, and they loved him, absolutely loved him.”
West, of course, is a part of the Warriors organization. It’s easy to say he is biased, and maybe he is to some extent, but West is a man who has a deep understanding of the game of basketball and usually calls it as he truly sees it.
As for why Curry and Thompson stand as the best duo in the league, Hughes has more on that below:
In his brief career, Curry has made 905 threes. In the entire history of the league, no player who has made that many career triples has done so as efficiently as Curry, whose career three-point percentage of 44 tops that of every high-volume sniper in league history, per Basketball-Reference.
Put simply, he presents a problem defenses have never seen before—one they’re nowhere close to solving.
Thompson is among the game’s best wing defenders, and he shields Curry from the league’s toughest matchups. Tony Parker? Chris Paul? Russell Westbrook?
Thompson guards them all, sparing Curry from the fatigue of checking such imposing foes.
Not to mention, Klay is an historically excellent shooter in his own right. Nobody in league history has made more triples in his first three seasons than Thompson, who has knocked down his 545 bombs at a 41 percent clip.
If there is one reason why some may think that Curry and Thompson aren’t the best, it’s Curry’s defense. That said, he is actually a quite-capable defender and knows the importance of proper positioning and concepts, which helps the defense set up in a way where the man he is guarding often takes exactly the shot they want taken – a poor shot. The biggest complaint one can make about Curry is his I-don’t-give-a-bleep attitude when he is in foul trouble. He tends to play the same aggressive style of defense whether he has one foul or five fouls, and that has gotten him in trouble over the years.
Offensively, Curry was worn out at times from having to carry so much of the load in Mark Jackson’s system. It didn’t help that the team didn’t really have a real backup point guard until they managed to acquire Steve Blake late in the season. Curry will look to be more fresh in games this season in a more ball-moving offense with a real backup in Shaun Livingston.
Thompson’s attributes have already been described, and he is going into a contract year. Enough said, really.
A MINI-DOCUMENTARY ON THE LIFE OF MATT BARNES:
Check out this terrific mini-documentary of Matt Barnes called “Matt Barnes is no Damn Phony”. It’s essentially about his journey to the NBA, as he touches on a wide variety of situations from his past, including his father’s drug-dealing background, the verbal abuse he and his sister endured in high school and the reason he dislikes his former coach Maurice Cheeks.
“I was in Philly and didn’t touch the court at all,” Barnes said. “Didn’t play. Nothing. I didn’t even get a chance. I remember Mo Cheeks was the coach at the time and he was just a dick. I would stay after to work on my shot and he would tell me, “what are you working on your shot for? You’re not gonna get to use that here.” So me and him almost got into it.”
Cheeks coached the Detroit Pistons last year and failed badly on meeting expectations before being fired midway through the season. If the way he treated Barnes is how he treated the players on his roster, it’s not too hard to see why he could never get the best out of the teams he coached (and that’s aside from his questionable decision-making before and during games).
Aside from that story, Barnes also touched on his mixed emotions about Donald Sterling – he was the first owner ever to give Barnes an NBA contract – and why what the owner said (racist remarks) ultimately wasn’t that offensive to him.
“What he said was wrong obviously, but it really wasn’t a big deal to me. I think when I tell people that, it kind of shocks them but if they know my story and what I’ve been through as far as the racism, hearing someone say “black people” and “blacks” or whatever he was saying is nothing to me… I don’t think we’ll ever abolish racism. I think it’s something that was here before me and it’s gonna be here after me. It’s something we’ll have to deal with.”
Most recognize Barnes as a simple troublemaker on the court who will mix it up to get into the heads of his opponents. This documentary tells a much deeper story. It’s about 12 minutes long and well worth the watch.
OTHER NEWS AND ITEMS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE:
- Dwight Howard posted a fantastic highlight-clip of various Houston Rockets players, including himself, to show their pursuing spirit. Check it out:
Post by Dwight Howard.
As a parting gift to Isaiah Thomas, DeMarcus Cousins had this to say about life without his starting point guard from last season, from Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: “DMC on PG changes: “it’s been incredible. It’s been a smooth transition. The ball is moving a lot better. It’s not stuck in one place … DMC continued: “…It’s not being overdribbled by anybody on the floor”. With those comments, Cousins is leaving no doubt that he had some serious issues with the way Thomas played. The center is looking to change the ugly perception about what kind of a player he is, and the way he played and behaved with Team USA over the summer was a good start (mostly). The next step is to control his emotions during games, and teammate Reggie Evans is providing some useful advice in that regard: “Cousins said Reggie Evans challenged him to get no more than 5 technical fouls, reminding him he can’t be a leader if he’s getting ejected.”
- As for Thomas, he is hoping to be a starter for the Phoenix Suns. That’s unlikely to happen, but he is also hoping to be in games when it counts in the fourth quarter. Given that the Suns already have Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, it’s hard to imagine how Thomas would remain in the game when it matters the most. This is a situation to keep an eye on, from Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “”I want to be a starter,” Thomas said. “Who wouldn’t? I’m going to push to be one but as long as I play, like Coach said I’m going to have a big role and play big minutes, I’m fine with that. As long as I’m in at the end of games when it really counts, that’s all that matters.”
Carmelo Anthony believes the culture of the New York Knicks has already changed drastically from last season, from Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN NY: “The energy is different,” Anthony said Wednesday after team practice at Christl Arena at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. “The culture is a lot different now. The vibes around here is different.”… “What we’ve been able to do these past couple of days is accountability, leadership, being honest with one another, having each other’s back, teamwork, and that’s something that’s the cadets’ thing, what they live by,” Anthony said. “We had a great opportunity to have lunch with the cadets and talk to them about what teamwork really means. “We saw how they line up together, 4,000 people eating at one time, 15 minutes, and all on point, that was very impressive for me and everybody.”… “You see everybody now is willing to help one another,” Anthony said. “Everybody is very focused on the things that we have to be focused on. These past couple of days we’ve been very detail oriented on what we want to accomplish.”
To celebrate the incredible career of Wilt Chamberlain, extra-large stamps have been made in his honor. Steve Aschburner of NBA.com has details: “The U.S.Postal Service and Philadelphia 76ers, in conjunction with the National Basketball Association (NBA), will formally dedicate the Wilt Chamberlain Forever stamps — the first of its kind featuring an NBA player — in a halftime ceremony featuring a special three-dimensional tribute video using the team’s state-of-the-art court projection system. Throughout the night, the Sixers will celebrate the life and legacy of the legendary Chamberlain with videos during breaks in play. Tickets for this 7 p.m. game will be available to the general public beginning Oct. 8 via Sixers.com… The stamps, just over two inches tall each, are about a third taller than a typical commemorative stamp height of approximately 1.5 inches. Kadir Nelson, of San Diego, CA, created the two stamp image portraits of the NBA superstar.”
Kevin Martin admit that he hasn’t necessarily been giving it his all over the past several seasons, from Andy Greder of Pioneer Press: “Martin, entering his 11th year, held court with the media and acknowledged he hasn’t always been a pro’s pro. In recent years while with Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City and Love in Minnesota, he said, he’s “been riding these superstars’ coattails.”… “I’m not going to be able to get away with the things I did the past five or six years because I have to be that guy, that big-brother type that has to do things the right way and not just get by on talent,” Martin said. On Tuesday, Martin clarified those things as “cutting corners” in training camp and in regular-season practices. “Showing (Wiggins and LaVine) the right way,” Martin said. “Be there for every drill I can be there with them and also take this game very serious. And not rely on our talent to get us to where we want to be because — and in past years — we could rely on talent. There are a lot of teams that can’t do that, and we’re a team that can’t do that.”
James Park is a blogger and editor of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.