Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are both one of the best players of the Golden State Warriors, and they have a rich history together as lethal 3-point shooters of their team. However, the question arises: who is the best out of these two?
Golden State Warriors Splash Brothers
The Warriors is an American professional basketball team that made it to the NBA's finals five times. They have also won the NBA title thrice.
Golden State Warriors is a perfect team with the best players for guarding and shooting. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are well known for being the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history. Therefore, they make a great combination that has carried the team to finals every other season.
This dynamic duo of Curry and Thompson is often known as the "Splash Brothers" due to their amazing team playing skills and their most explosive backcourt shots. But to answer who among the two is better, let's look at the following points.
Shooting
Stephen Curry is known for being the best 3-point shooter in NBA history, and even Klay Thompson himself called him the best shooter of all in an interview.
They both have an impressive three-point shooting percentage, 44% and 42% of Curry and Thompson, respectively. Curry even made a staggering score of 62 against the Trail Blazers during the 2021 season of the NBA.
Related: Steph Curry's Shooting Form Breakdown
Passing
Even though fans greatly admire Thompson's quick passing ability, Curry wins this round.
Moreover, Curry has a higher rate of an assist per game than Thompson. Curry has a rate of 6.5 assists per game, which makes him a great team player.
Additionally, his rebounds are around 5.48 per game. Any coach would prefer Curry to have on his team as great passing ability helps make the whole team better.
Scoring
On average, Curry has more points than Thompson, which gives him a good advantage. However, if given the perfect opportunity, Thompson can easily outshine Curry or even be second to him in the Hall of Fame.
He gave us some of the most entertaining games, such as in 2018 against the Bulls, he scored fourteen 3-pointers. It is noteworthy that the difference in average point is also due to both position differences.
Thompson has also missed two seasons due to knee and Achilles' injuries. However, in different circumstances, Thompson would have had a better stat for scoring.
However, Curry scored 62 points in a single game against the Trail Blazers. Overall, we know Curry sits higher on the scoring board than Thompson.
Defense
Both these Warriors stars are two of the best "guards" in the NBA. However, if we look at their history, Klay Thompson overshadows Stephen Curry in this area. Curry usually avoids guarding the players in-game, whereas Klay is excellent when it comes to defense.
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Therefore, we can easily say that Klay is the "better" guard, and his height allows him to defend even the most threatening guards. In 2019 Klay Thompson also earned the NBA All-Defensive Second Team award for being the best guard.
Awards
Stephen Curry is the holder of the Most Valuable Player award of the NBA, not once but twice.
Moreover, he has gotten many awards, such as the Sportsmanship Award, Magic Johnson Award, and Community Assist Award, which shows that he is also an active part of the community other than being a great player.
In a three-point contest, they both never fail to amaze the audience. Curry won twice, whereas Thompson won once.
They both played a significant role in the 2015-2015 season, where they made history in the NBA record while scoring 73-9. Together they both laid the foundation of the Warriors and got them to finals for five consecutive years.
However, Curry was bestowed with the All-NBA team award seven times while being the All-NBA 1st for five times.
Even in 2021, Curry is at the top. Moreover, he won Player of the Month and All-Star awards seven times. Therefore, it is safe to say Curry has an outstanding reputation.
Conclusion: Klay Thompson vs. Stephen Curry
Overall the dynamic backcourt duo of the Golden State Warriors is the reason for the consecutive elite performances of the team.
Without a doubt, both Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are some of the best players who managed to earn the Champions trophy thrice for their team.
However, when it comes to Klay Thompson vs. Stephen Curry, the latter takes the lead. Curry is a better player overall; though he lacks in the area of defense, he does have a good grip on the ball and beats the best when it comes to scoring points.
Thompson is still trying and can be on top, but Curry is currently an ideal player that any coach would want on his team.
