The Warriors won the NBA title last year, and were in first place from start to finish. Yet, the Spurs, Rockets and Cavaliers have generated much more buzz heading into the 2015-16 season. That shouldn't be the case, since it's possible that for the first time in history, the NBA's best point guard and shooting guard will share the same backcourt.
Whether Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the best in the NBA at their positions is up for debate, but the case for each is strong.
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Curry won the MVP award last season, so the case for him as the top point guard is strong. Curry is a historically great shooter; he shot 44 percent from beyond the arc on a whopping 8.9 attempts per game. He was 91.4 percent from the free throw line, and he averaged 23.8 points per game.
Lest you think Curry is just a scoring machine, Curry averaged 7.7 assists per game, and was worth 4.1 defensive win shares, the second season in a row he played at a high level defensively.
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Other point guards may have edges on Curry. Chris Paul is still the best passer in basketball, and Russell Westbrook is more physically dominant. But no point guard was as excellent across the board as Curry.
The argument for Thompson is a bit tougher, and it's because of one man: James Harden. The bearded assassin in Houston is one of the NBA's most unstoppable scorers, but Thompson can't be slept on. He may not be as adept at creating his own scoring opportunities, but Thompson averaged 21.7 points last season, and was just as fearless than Curry beyond the arc.
Thompson launched 7.1 treys per game and sank them at a 43.9 percent clip. Harden has a reputation as a relentless gunner, but he knocked down 37.5 percent of his 3-pointers and attempted fewer than Thompson.
Harden averaged seven assists per game, but also four turnovers. Thompson averaged a shade less than three assists, and fewer than two turnovers. Harden was clearly a better stat stuffer - and fantasy basketball option - but Thompson's plus-minus of 10.1 vs. Harden's 4.1 is evidence that efficiency has tremendous value.
It's impossible to spot a team with the best point guard and best shooting guard in the league at the same time. Haggling over Curry's and Thompson's official ranking is equally impossible, but the point is this: we should all spend more time talking about the Warriors.
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