So which is the best back court in the NBA at the present moment? There are a couple of contenders for the title, but the main competition lies between the back court of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and John Wall and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
For me the best have to be Stephan Curry and Klay Thompson. The way the duo have entertained and managed to capture the imagination of the entire NBA this season clinches the title. The two are playing on the best team, with the best offensive and defensive record in the league. They have taken their team from being playoff contenders to genuine title favourites. The same can’t be said of the Wizards and their back court.
Yes, Beal and Wall have together taken the Wizards by storm and put them firmly in the midst of playoff contention and maybe even an outside chance of making it to the finals, but to consider them anything close to a title contending team would be blasphemy.
Considering just the back courts and not the the entire team, even then Curry and Thompson come out on top. The categories that define any back court can be divided into points, assists, steals. If we dig a little deeper it can further be divided into shooting, passing, scoring near the basket, free throws, assists, turnovers and steals.
The pair of Curry and Thompson are clearly way out in front when it comes to shooting, be it three point, mid range or free throws. In fact, they are historically the best shooting back court ever. They are both rank 1 and 2 in this regard so its hard to see any competition in this aspect. When on song, they can take teams apart with just their shooting, hitting unbelievable shot after shot, and no team can stand a chance when either of these players gets hot. Wall and Beal on the other hand are not the best shooters. Beal can shoot the three and take the game away on his day, but he can’t be compared with the Splash Brothers.
What the Wizard’s back court does have is speed, agility and physical presence. John Wall is probably the fittest point guard in the league today alongside Russel Westbrook and gets most of his points through drives inside near the bucket. Although Thompson has improved in this category, the other three are ahead of him in this regard. Curry is known to have terrific handles and has control and accuracy with his play close to the basket.
Wall and Beal can run the court as well as anyone on the fast break and generally end up finishing strong with either a dunk or lay up or free throws or sometimes both on the same play. John Wall is the fastest in the league when it comes to starting a fast break and is known for his ability to dominate games from there. Opposition is always weary of leaving him open as he lives by such chances. While the duo from the East live in the lane, the West back court prefers to shoot threes even on the break, stepping back behind the three line a majority of times and shoot the ball. It’s something unprecedented in history of the NBA as shots near the rim have always been the premium for any team, but the Splash Brothers are changing history in this regard.
What the Warriors’ duo has done is set pace for historical figures and made the three ball as viable a component for winning games as plays from inside. While initially it was more of a luxury shot, these days teams live and die by the three point shot, thanks in no small measure to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, who have carries on the legacy started by the Phoenix Suns and Steve Nash.
Passing the ball and chemistry either team can take the cake here but its the point scoring and ability to decide matches so far and take control of them that has seen the Splash Brothers, aka Stephen Cury and Klay Thompson come out on top, as probably the most deadly back court combo in the history of the NBA. They have made the outside shot as efficient as any other in basketball and deserve to be considered at the pantheon of the current NBA lot.