Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the top 10 players in the NBA today

4. Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is maybe the most difficult superstar to evaluate. Just three seasons ago, Curry had an entire regular-season game stretch where he seriously looked like the NBA’s new best player. Then, LeBron James shut that impression right back down by leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a miraculous series comeback to eventually be crowned the 2016 NBA champions, while reinforcing the NBA world that he was still indeed the world’s greatest basketball player.

Still, Curry was the obvious second-to-LeBron after that season, which he proved by surpassing Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the previous series.

Curry is small, but unlike any small guard we’ve ever seen, he has the ability to dominate a game by simply stretching the opposing defense. In a unique way, Curry is a dominant force, which not even his height can prevent. He’s not the best player in the world but he plays like it at times, locking him in at number four.

Curry and James Harden are similar in that they both dominate the game from the offensive end only. And despite Harden’s fascinating season, Curry’s game has translated to significantly more winning.

Harden’s regular-season performance holds some significance, but not enough to surpass Curry as the better player.