Kendrick Perkins: Harden better all-around player than Steph Curry

Kendrick Perkins stoked the fire just enough with his claim that James Harden is a better all-around player than Steph Curry.

Kendrick Perkins brought out the ‘rile up the barbershop’ take Monday on ESPN’s First Take.

Perkins, along with Max Kellerman and Marcus Spears, was discussing who is better between Houston Rockets star James Harden and Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry. Perkins chose Harden with conviction. After the show, Perkins doubled down on his take, tweeting that Curry only has shooting over Harden.

Choosing Harden over Curry isn’t as bad as someone hypothetically saying Paul George is better than LeBron James.

There’s more distance between those two players, but with Harden and Curry, personal preference can be more prevalent.

Curry is the better player, with his resume as pristine as any superstar in the NBA. A three-time champion and two-time MVP, Curry boasts a legacy that will endure. He’s the best shooter ever, and he’s primed to catch Ray Allen on the all-time list for most 3-pointers made. 

But whenever a group of friends comes together, there’s always one or two who are willing to argue the other side in a relatively one-sided argument.

Arguing Harden is a better all-around player is that other side. The argument is just intriguing enough to spark intense debate, but it’s also not too hot that it’s outrageous.

Harden has proven to be the league’s premier scorer aside from Kevin Durant. He’s won the last two scoring titles, and whenever this regular season officially ends, he’s positioned to win his third consecutive.

Harden and Curry are relatively even when it comes to areas of the game that aren’t their No. 1 strengths of scoring and shooting, respectively.

They’re both solid distributors, with Harden boasting a career average of 6.3 assists per game; Curry has averaged 6.6 assists during his career. They’re both effective rebounders for guards. Harden has averaged 5.3 rebounds a game during his career, and Curry has averaged 4.5 a game.

As for their impact defensively, both are serviceable and slightly underrated on that end.

With his strength, Harden is good at occasionally defending the post. Curry isn’t as bad defensively as some make him out to be, as he plays the passing lanes relatively well. He’s averaged 1.7 steals a game during his career.

In some cases, the argument for Harden being better could be made. But with Curry’s laundry list of accolades and overall impact, it’s difficult to say Harden is definitively better than him.

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