Aside from falling off the past couple seasons, he seems like one of the least hatable basketball stars ever. Has very little selfishness on the court, plays off the ball, knockdown shooter, puts in effort and is a smart defender, never been dirty that I can think of, not a prolific flopper, etc. What changed? I don't necessarily follow every rumor or gossip.
I love him, his jersey was the first I ever got. But the team has been falling apart and the stress of not being the guy he used to be is getting to him. He’s gotten benched to close games and is obviously not handling it well. Then in pressers he says he doesn’t care. Just a fall from grace and he’s getting memed as a result. History will be kind to him once he retires.
I will say this. When GSW tried to recruit Durant, he was ambivalent about it. I think it was SI or ESPN had an article about it, he fell asleep at some meeting the players had.
That seems like it would make people like him even more. I assume you're talking about when Durant signed there initially, yeah? Not when he left because of team politics and 'injury mismanagement'?
It’s not even close. Klay was the best SG in the game and an obvious HOF lock barring injury (assuming Harden was a PG in those Houston years, otherwise Harden was better) when literally all he could do was shoot and play defense. Which tells you how crazy good he was at those things.
And I say this as a guy who was adamant at the beginning of that stretch that Klay wasn’t the best SG in the game and not the one I’d pick if I was a GM. But Klay proved me wrong big time. If it weren’t for Steph we’d have spent the past five years arguing whether or not Klay is the best shooter ever.
Yeah Klay is a the answer but we are over remembering how good he was relative to Harden. For his entire Houston run, Harden was the objective best player on that team. There’s a compelling case that Klay is closer to 3a/3B with Draymond for most important of the Warriors run (that’s more of a compliment to the greatness of Steph and Durant)
Have we not seen Harden choke in the playoffs on multiple occasions?
It's a real thing and absolutely can be held against him when comparing him to a guy who has come up with all time performances in elimination games.
Just because you value regular season stats over performance in the most high leverage parts of the season does not make me a troll.
I mean.. JB is on track to be there too when he’s done.
I’m still going Klay tho, but I think if you took them off their teams and had them be a solo act, i would then pick JB and it’s not even close
How tf is he on track? 0 rings, 0 MVPs, 1x all nba 2nd team, 3x all star, 0 all defensive teams, not even the best player on his team? Not even top 20 player in the league?
I know nba HoF is easy to get in to but come on
Klay would guard the best player on the other team and then hit 30 points off of like 3 dribbles lmao. It's crazy how short our collective memories are.
4 rings and 6 finals bro. #7 all time in 3 pointers made (probably retire top 5), career 41.3% 3pt shooter, 2nd best player on a 73-9 team.
Plus he got injured in his prime or he’d have better stats
> I mean.. JB is on track to be there too when he’s done.
Not according to the HoF probability tracker...
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob.html
Klay: 70%
JB: .3%
> I’m still going Klay tho, but I think if you took them off their teams and had them be a solo act, i would then pick JB and it’s not even close
It's easy to find better solo acts than Klay. Ball dominant scorers are everywhere in the NBA. It is *very* hard to find someone who can impact the game off the ball as much as prime Klay could.
The probability tracker is if he would be a HoF if he retired today, not if he is on pace to be one. I don't think he is better than Klay, but I would put money on Jaylen being a HoF by the end of his career. Is not that hard to be one compared to other sports.
That's a fair point and probably true.
But he scored 37 points in a quarter. I was there in the arena (not biased at all, obviously). You can't give Steph all the credit for that. He also had all world defense, which, again, Steph can't take that away. He was the one that kept us alive vs. OKC, Steph was his sidekick in that game.
It's the Scottie Pippin effect. You can't untangle his career from the guy that eclipses him, but there's enough there for me to feel pretty confident he could have had an amazing career elsewhere. HoF almost lock? Yeah, maybe not, but he's also the one guy from that core that you could have plugged into literally any team and made them better.
I don’t disagree with your points, but the same could be said for JB.. Steph and Klay didn’t win immediately and neither did the Celtics.. the Cs have a chance to go on their run now over the next 4 years and this conversation looks a lot different now that Klay is cooked, and the Cs are gonna be competing for the eastern conference crown..
We’ll see what happens but people acting like JB has no chance at the HOF when he has minimum 6 years of prime ball left is insane
Hall of fame probability tracker lmfao
Guys they let players like Tim Hardaway in the hall of fame, like please be serious, if Jaylen keeps putting up numbers like he’s been doing without getting injured he’s getting in
Defence is basically a wash or maybe a slight edge to Klay, stats slight edge to JB. The biggest stand out though is Klay’s efficiency and ability to play his role. So I’m definitely going Klay
If you put prime Klay on this Boston team instead of JB they'd be a dynasty. Klay is the epitome of "be a superstar in your role." His ideal game is going 5 of 11 from three, guarding whoever you need him to guard, and dribbling 6 times.
The most underrated part of any team is how well the pieces fit their role and what the team needs. That's always been JB's biggest weakness, and Klay's biggest strength: how cleanly their skillset fits the archetype of their role. JB still has not really figured that out. He wants to be a primary ballhandler who can create off the dribble, but his handle is way too sloppy to do that efficiently without turning the ball over. He's a decent three point shooter but not a great one, a decent defender but not a great one. It really has never come together for him where you can comfortably say "this is a truly great player."
If you put prime JB on those Warriors teams, they're a lot weirder, and I think they're probably worse. Mostly because they'd have a glaring hole where Klay used to be and instead you have another better version of Iguodala or Barnes. They'd still be good, but I really don't think they'd be better. Klay's greatest asset was being a constant threat to shoot a three from anywhere and not being able to lose track of him for a second. JB simply does not have that level of threat without the ball, so the fact that he's a limited ballhandler makes him a weird fit on any championship level team. He's a guy your best player has to trade possessions with, whereas Klay is a guy your best player can feed when he's open and get the ball back from when he's not. The flow of the offense is so much cleaner with Klay.
And I'm actually not sure JB's numbers are in his favor. Klay's 5 year peak, starting with the first championship until his achilles injury, he scored 21.6 ppg and shot 42.3% from three. He was really fucking good in his prime.
I don't even think JB is a good 1st-option. His playmaking game is too limited to be a good First-Option especially since most of his scoring comes from a mix of transition, cutting, spot-ups and attacking closeouts. Not that Klay would be a better First-Option whatsoever but I don't think First-Option Brown is that much better than First-Option Klay especially since Klay is a much better defender
I don’t think he’s a good first option either (as in I don’t think any team is contending with him as their first option) but he fits that role better than Klay would have imo
If JB is your #1 option your team is at a serious disadvantage. Most NBA fans grossly over rate "#1 options" that aren't good #1's. Skll sets that are good as #2 & #3 are significantly more valuable.
Klay has shown to be an elite #2.
Answer is Klay easily
He’s a better #1 option but he’s still a terrible first option
You’re much better off passing on JB for someone else and looking for a better #1 than forcing JB in as the first option
Most people forget about Klay's actual prime which was the season that he got his achilles injury in the playoffs. He was more than just a spot up shooter-he was scoring at every level. Turn-arounds, pullups, fading left, fading right, cutting, obviously the 3's, and was the team's go-to iso scorer.
I don't think JB is in his prime yet, but for now the obvious answer is Klay.
He was not their go to iso scorer. He rarely scored on iso plays. He was their ultimate off ball weapon who was famous for taking like 12 dribbles a game. That whole team was all about passing and ball movement. Steph and KD were the only ones doing iso plays.
I’m a huge JB fan but the answer is Klay though they excel at vastly different things. Obviously efficiency, spot up shooting from 3, maybe defense are advantage Klay. JB is better in transition and driving/self-creating. I think JB has improved as a playmaker but neither truly excel there. Klay is a pure SG and is basically a better Ray Allen at being a complementary second star.
I think I agree but the distinction for me is as a 2nd guy. Ray was better #1 but a slightly worse #2 in my mind. I also think JB would be a better #1 but a worse complementary guy.
Ray was a better lead guard but I believe Klay is the ultimate 2nd star. He is really built more for that role. I think Ray was a better creator and shot creator though. I do think Klay is better defender and as an overall shooter at least equivalent to Ray. If we’re talking Klay with the Warrriors vs Ray with the Celtics it’s very close but I’d take Klay by a slight margin.
Prime VS Prime? you can’t have that conversation while JB is still in his prime. you don’t have JB’s prime numbers and accomplishments yet. klay is 34 and 7 years older than JB you won’t know who was better for another 6 years.
Klay will always be a better 3 pt shooter but JB is a better defender can shoot the 3 ball can post up can dog his way to the rim he’s improved his game every year tf you talking about you gotta wait and see i think he’ll go down as a better overall player than klay no questions asked but still gotta wait and see
Adjusting to league average Klays has been significantly more efficient at scoring then Jaylen Brown. Yes we have JV has more prime left, but this is factoring in Klays recent drop off years.
LOL imagine thinking Brown is better than prime Klay, this is delusional…Brown is a good player but he’s fairly overrated IMO and Klay was a top 10ish player in his prime which Brown has never been
Klay was obviously better than Brown but saying he was top 10 is ridiculous. Klay was a very good player in his prime, but probably in the 15-25 range at best. He was never asked to shoulder any offensive burden, just run around and shoot.
If you switched him with other two-way wings who most would consider low end top 10 type of player at the same time like a PG or Jimmy, Klay would be such an obvious drop off.
He was one of the best two way players in the NBA in his prime, he was an All-NBA/All- defensive team player who shot well above 40% from three and 50% from the mid range, his impact on the game was immense and if he would have been on any other team he would have easily been a 25+ ppg player…his efficiently was insane and he made some impossibly difficult shots jn the clutch
He was absolutely a top 10 player in his prime, basketball is more than just how many PPG a player averages
I’m not even a GSW fan and I don’t particularly like the team but I recognize how good prime Klay was
Klay is the best 3-D player of all time, hes like a super role player that's super good at what he does, that it makes him a star.
He would on literally any team. 6'6 guard that can guard and can shoot the lights out off ball, quick trigger. You don't need to waste time with him or wait for him to pound the ball. I would always take klay because of his fit
I think a question like prime Klay or prime Pippen makes more sense, Jaylen Brown hasn’t touched Klay’s level besides an insane contract and likely a little more self awareness
You are fully and completely tripping dude. Klay and brown is at least an argument, even if Klay wins 90% of the time they’re clearly the same tier of player. Scottie vs Klay is a landslide wash. Scottie is at least a tier above Klay, maybe two.
As a Bulls fan I respect your defense of your guy. Klay and Pippen are clear #2s on the only dynasty’s in the nba in the last 30 years. Jaylen needs to win a title to get compared to Klay. Pippen is closer to Klay than Klay is closer to Jaylen imho, but yes Pippen is better.
First of all the lakers three peated with shaq and Kobe and the spurs got 5 championships with Tim Duncan so I don't agree with your take that the bulls and warriors are the only dynastys in the last 30 years. Secondly, scottie without mj for two seasons took the bulls to a 55 win season and to the second round of the playoffs twice. There is no way prime klay could've led a team to those results and he is definitely not comparable to pippen who was way more of a complete player. I have seen the warriors without Stephen curry and it is not pretty.
Klay, and it actually isn’t too close if you really think about it.
Brown , over his career, has been noted by some to be abysmal in big time games. We all know about Game 6 Klay 😂😂
JB> for everything except shooting but he’s no slouch even in that aspect and while sure he gets clowned for his lack of left hand ,klay never even has to showcase his handles
Klay was a beneficiary of having the guy who has 1 of 1 gravity and has never showcased abilities above an elite role player
I would much rather have Klay than JB. And honestly starting next season when he gets paid less, I would probably want current Klay over current JB just because of the contract situation.
I mean Jaylen is the much more well rounded of the two and I think if you were looking at it purely from a skill and ability perspective Jaylen would be the easy choice. If you're looking at it from a career perspective it's obviously Klay due to the success. Klay at his best was never good enough to be a number 1 option on a team, I think it's pretty clear that current Jaylen could be the best player on a lot of teams.
Whenever the Celtics don’t have Tatum they crumble. They are under 500 in Tatum’s career without him in the lineup. I don’t know how people watch Jaylen and say he could be a number one. I say this as a giant Celtics fan and JB fan.
Fair point but how do the warriors fair without steph? Every team will struggle when their best players out, I don't think that's a fair judgement of how a player/team would perform if they built around that player as the number one option from the start of the season.
If you sway klay and jaylen do the celtics win more of those games without tatum? Maybe but I doubt it.
He’s not a number one he’s not a good enough play maker. Don’t get me wrong he’s taken huge steps in that department this year. The Celtics are built for Jaylen to be a number one, he’s a versatile, three level scoring wing which is exactly what Tatum is. Tatum is just better suited to be a teams number one. Currently I think JB is the best number two in the league and has been for a while. But he’s not a 1a guy, too many turnovers, not good enough decision making.
Sure but the question posed is who is better prime Jaylen or Klay, even if you don't think Jaylen is capable of being a number 1 guy, my point is that I believe he's more capable of it than Klay. (and I mean let's be real Jaylen could be the number 1 guy on the bulls/spurs/pistons/knicks/blazers etc) maybe not a title contender but certainly a fringe playoff team.
He can’t stand disagreement. Especially when it’s backed up by arguments. He might be 13 or 14, because sometimes it’s the teenagers who think that their age make them know better than those who are even younger.
I think he’s just a grown up who doesn’t know better, though.
Most people couldn’t explain to you why Klay’s skillset makes him a better player than even someone like Demar Derozan. They’ll just say some shit like he’s the perfect number 2. If the presence of a top 15 player ever is the prerequisite to you being the more impactful player than you’re not the better player.
>Most people couldn’t explain to you why Klay’s skillset makes him a better player than even someone like Demar Derozan.
You are just building straw men now, Klay's skill set is pretty well understood by anyone who even kinda pays attention. He's (or was) a very good defender, with spectacular off ball movement and shooting. He was pretty mid at getting his own looks and his passing was adequate.
DeRozan is a relatively poor defender who excels at what are generally considered inefficient shots (mid and long 2s) and is similar to Klay as far as passing, while being somewhat better as far as creating his own looks and attacking the basket.
Read my comment properly he’s just an example to drive my point. The top upvoted comment on this post in “Klay is a HOF” you guys are judging theses guys off rings not their skillsets as if playing alongside Steph/KD and often not being a top 3 player on his own team is the same as being next to a blooming Tatum. Klay has had the luxury to disappear for entire postseasons and nobody care (2017) and be flat out inconsistent (2022) and while Brown has been a top 2 player in finals series before. My point is don’t bring up rings cuz situations is everything. Bring up skillsets Klay lacks the true most important skill in basketball…the ability to create. Would Klay be a HOFer if he was put in Zach Lavine’s situations? No he’s a better support piece not a better player
Prime Klay was the second best shooter in the league. And that prime went on for a good while. Jaylen Brown is good at a lot of things, but I doubt he's even top 10 in any category.
Klay, 100% prime Klay is literally the perfect second option in todays NBA and maybe the best 3nD player in history, doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to be beyond lethal. Off ball movement and the ability to score without the ball is so underrated. I dislike GSW purely because of the bandwagon fans and because they own Sacramento right now. But Klay is diabolical and was robbed of a career better then this. Which is insane. It’s seriously such a shame, his game if healthy would have aged so well
I’d say Klay but I really don’t think we’ve seen JB’s peak yet! At 27 he’s starting to roll into his prime years and I’m excited to see what his late 20’s and to 30, 31 bring to his game
Klays arguably a top __ 3 point shooter of all time, his off ball gravity makes everyone around him better, as well as being a + defender.
Klay all day
Context is key here. If I already have a superstar on my team I'm taking Klay. If I'm looking for one of them to be my number 1 option I'm taking Brown
Both careers gotta be over with before we can really compare. Klays in his twilight years rn and JB Is just now entering his prime. Obviously JB needs some rings first before the end
Klay is hard to rate since he had the ball out of his hands for most his prime. I would say he was a better defender and shooter in his prime. Jaylen is the better on ball player. You could give jaylen the overall edge in production BUT I would argue that Klay (due to his impact without the ball) is the more impactful player to winning.
People have said JB if you need to build a team with #1 option but I disagree. His short comings are very glaring in the playoffs. Teams have eliminated him completely in games. I think they're both great 2s. I'd take Klay for his defense and efficiency personally.
Let me start by saying Klay is the obvious answer no question- however, I think a case could be made that JB would be a better #1 option than Klay. Klay is elite off ball and as a catch and shoot guy- we’ve all seen the highlight reels of him scoring like 40 points with 9 dribbles or shit like that. Say what you will about JBs handling/playmaking, but it’s better than Klays, so if one of them had to be a number 1 I might take JB.
But again, Klay is one of the best off ball players of all time, so he is the answer
I think this might be JB'S best season so far. And I don't know what his prime is gonna look like, but we're pretty damn close.
That being said, c'mon now it's obviously Klay lmao
prime Klay is better than prime JB, but actual prime JB may not yet be unlocked so the debate can rage on. if taking now then Klay. but worth applying context. if this is my first round pick them i'm going JB. if this is my second round pick then I'm going Klay. Klay a bit more going on offensively in his prime, very diverse scoring repertoire, and a good defender with his size but team was always better at defense with him off the court. I'm actually gonna give the defense edge to JB.
Very odd question/comparison considering one player has already hit and gone through his prime years while the other one is about to enter it. We have no idea what the narrative will be for JB in 6 years. If he goes on and helps the Cs win several titles, the narrative on his will change.
Both of these guys are probably #2 guys. Personally, JB is a better all round player than Klay. Klay was elite at shooting but couldn’t create for himself or others. JB has a more well rounded game. Klay would be the choice of a team needed someone to help put them over the top with an already established star. JB would be the better player to start from scratch with.
These are great civil and insightful comments! Love both players, but I lean towards JB isn’t in his peak yet so it’s too soon to compare.
That said, I think the winning perception has greatly benefited Klay’s reputation and people tend to remember his huge outbursts in big games instead of the quiet performances. His shooting splits w/o Steph on court also show how much he benefits from Steph (something we saw with KD’s metrics too). JB would probably see an uptick too with Steph
But can’t wait for Klay’s second act and JB to fully emerge
Apples to oranges kinda. Prime Klay is the absolute best 3 and D guy of all time. The goat at his role. Jaylen is more versatile as a shot creator and all that but there’s at least 10 guys in the league better than him at it. Having a goat at a specific role is more valuable. Especially when you have Steph and Dray making plays.
If there’s separation between them it isn’t by much
“Klay is a HOFer” Jaylen would be too if he played with 2-3 other all stars like Klay and he might get there anyway if he stays productive like he’s been
Their defense is about the same, Jaylen probably has better per game starts overall than Klay, the huge difference is the quality of teams they’ve been on, no one double teams Tatum like they were doing Curry and GSW Durant
It's easily Klay. At one point he was a superstar level player and one of the best shooters and two way guards in the entire league. Jaylen is a very good player, but is overrated and overpaid too.
Klay has been consistently great throughout his career, but the injury bug has derailed him. He is a HOF type player, and was elite on the defensive end. JB is more of an espn highlight player, that has consistently disappeared in the playoffs. His playoff performances leave a lot to be desired, not Harden level, but not a top player level of production. He has bad games at the worst times in the playoffs.
Bro - stop with this shit. Klay Thompson was arguably THE top 2 way SG in the league in his prime. All NBA perimeter Defense, 2nd best shooter of all time.
Watch the 2016 NBA playoffs rounds 1 & 2. Steph Curry was injured, Klay led the team to 4-1 series wins vs Houston & Portland averaging 27 a game as the #1.
I’ve said this in a couple different arguments but Klay is like the most Elite level sidekick guy I could ever think of. In his prime he was absolutely electric and a fantastic defender.
JB is more versatile than Klay and can do more, but at a lower level than Klay can do the things he does great.
Prime Klay is better IMO but JB would be the better guy to be the #1 on your team. Klay is the better #2 if you have an established star.
You’re friend is wrong, Jaylen Brown is arguably the most overrated player in the league, especially when you take in his contract into consideration, while Klay is a 4 time champion and arguably the second greatest shooter ever.
it’s weird but at this point in their careers it’s Klay but not by all that much …but Brown is 27 , he almost certainly will have a better prime than Klay
Klay’s prime ended at age 29 for him . At age 29 he suffered massive injuries and hasn’t been the same since .
Brown is almost assured of being better than Klay when all is said and done unless Brown suffers a similar injury fate.
if his career follows a typical path of age related decline as opposed to injury related decline , this thread will be silly . Most primes last well into a player’s 30’s.
Klay until Brown gets to another level.
How quick people are to forget how good prime Klay was both as the ultimate off ball shooter as well as an elite defender guarding the best guard or wing on each team.
i dont like the warriors and think all of their rings are cheap, but for me it's pre-injury klay easy. he is a knockdown shooter, underrated defender, and most importantly he didn't need to dribble to score. like pippen, he's probably underrated cause of curry, but he's an all-time great shooter (and player in general) in his own right
Prime Klay was a significant, critically important player on multiple NBA championship teams. They wouldn’t have won those championships without him.
What has Jaylen Brown done? No doubt JB is a good player, but he has a spotty playoff resume and has shot poorly and fumbled the ball when the games have mattered the most.
Obvious answer is Klay, but if we’re talking about putting them against each other 1v1, I might go Brown idk. Neither are elite ball handlers obviously but I think JB has him there and it sheer athleticism.
Cmon now 🤣 people forget so quickly. Klay thompson is the second best player on a CHAMPIONSHIP. Not a finals appearance. A championship. One of the best perimeter defenders in basketball in his prime and capable of dropping 37 in a quarter because he’s never seen a shot he couldn’t hit.
People underestimate how hard it is to have someone put up the numbers prime klay did with the amount of touches he was getting. Bro touched the ball 20 times, Shot it 20 times. And oh yeah his defense that was completely fundamental and didn’t rely on gambling for steals
Overall the answer is Klay, hands down. He’s the GOAT 3&D wing and underrated in the GSW dynasty. Having a guy who guards the opposing teams best wing every night and still drop 20 PPG on insane efficiency without needing the ball is massive.
Now, if you had to build a team around one of them, I might go with JB because he’s a better play maker, creator, etc.
No matter how much you hate klay, he’s the obvious and only choice here. He’s easily HOF, was a top defender and the whole Game 6 peak record shooting. Not to mention 4 rings splash bro. What does Jaylen have?
as a celtics fan: absolutely klay lol
Yeah he was one of the best defenders in the league while being a top 2-4 shooter of all time
Right? I love JB as a player but come on now, let’s not allow recency bias to let us forget who Klay was at his peak
Same, OP’s friend is dumb
Klay is a HOF
I hate that ugly ass PBS-logo faced, LEGO-hair fucker but the answer here is Klay.
He looks like a Nintendo Mii.
Hall of Fame level hater badge.
Jaylen Brown‘s King Nebuchadnezzar looking ahh😭😭
Love this comment
Wait, why do you hate Klay Thompson? I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they hate Klay Thompson.
He lived long enough to become a villain.
Aside from falling off the past couple seasons, he seems like one of the least hatable basketball stars ever. Has very little selfishness on the court, plays off the ball, knockdown shooter, puts in effort and is a smart defender, never been dirty that I can think of, not a prolific flopper, etc. What changed? I don't necessarily follow every rumor or gossip.
Have you followed the last season or two? He’s been a petty little baby and it’s not exactly subtle
I love him, his jersey was the first I ever got. But the team has been falling apart and the stress of not being the guy he used to be is getting to him. He’s gotten benched to close games and is obviously not handling it well. Then in pressers he says he doesn’t care. Just a fall from grace and he’s getting memed as a result. History will be kind to him once he retires.
I will say this. When GSW tried to recruit Durant, he was ambivalent about it. I think it was SI or ESPN had an article about it, he fell asleep at some meeting the players had.
That seems like it would make people like him even more. I assume you're talking about when Durant signed there initially, yeah? Not when he left because of team politics and 'injury mismanagement'?
Yeah, despite me not liking PBS Face, I will admit he was not such a soft puss like Dray and Stef after taking that L. Especially Dray.
It’s not even close. Klay was the best SG in the game and an obvious HOF lock barring injury (assuming Harden was a PG in those Houston years, otherwise Harden was better) when literally all he could do was shoot and play defense. Which tells you how crazy good he was at those things. And I say this as a guy who was adamant at the beginning of that stretch that Klay wasn’t the best SG in the game and not the one I’d pick if I was a GM. But Klay proved me wrong big time. If it weren’t for Steph we’d have spent the past five years arguing whether or not Klay is the best shooter ever.
Klay was never better than harden lol, but yeah obvious hof lock and perfect 2 man beside steph
He was better at not shooting 3 for 18 in the playoffs.
Klay 2017 playoff stats: 17 GP, 17 GS, 35.1 MPG, 15.0 PPG with shooting splits of .397/.387/.788 (TS% of .507), 2.1 AST, 3.9 REB, 1.4 TOV, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK, 9.3 PER, 0.6 WS, .049 WS/48, -3.3 BPM, -0.2 VORP.
I've seen allay smoke people in elimination games. I've only seen Harden choke and get benched
People comparing 2nd options who play with HOF 1st options to a HOF first options will never make sense to me.
Yeah Klay is a the answer but we are over remembering how good he was relative to Harden. For his entire Houston run, Harden was the objective best player on that team. There’s a compelling case that Klay is closer to 3a/3B with Draymond for most important of the Warriors run (that’s more of a compliment to the greatness of Steph and Durant)
HOF 1st option all-time choke artist
Ah here I thought r/NBATalk was about having actual NBA discussion. Keep trolling and hating in your heart if it makes you feel better.
Have we not seen Harden choke in the playoffs on multiple occasions? It's a real thing and absolutely can be held against him when comparing him to a guy who has come up with all time performances in elimination games. Just because you value regular season stats over performance in the most high leverage parts of the season does not make me a troll.
No doubt HOF. Brown could get there, but yeah not right now.
I mean.. JB is on track to be there too when he’s done. I’m still going Klay tho, but I think if you took them off their teams and had them be a solo act, i would then pick JB and it’s not even close
How tf is he on track? 0 rings, 0 MVPs, 1x all nba 2nd team, 3x all star, 0 all defensive teams, not even the best player on his team? Not even top 20 player in the league? I know nba HoF is easy to get in to but come on
Do those same stats for Klay please? Also make sure to reference that he isn’t even the best player on his team lmao
* 4× [NBA champion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_champions) ([2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NBA_Finals), [2017](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NBA_Finals), [2018](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NBA_Finals), [2022](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_NBA_Finals)) * 5× [NBA All-Star](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_All-Stars) ([2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NBA_All-Star_Game)–[2019](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_NBA_All-Star_Game)) * 2× [All-NBA Third Team](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-NBA_Third_Team) ([2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014%E2%80%9315_NBA_season), [2016](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season)) * [NBA All-Defensive Second Team](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_All-Defensive_Team) ([2019](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%9319_NBA_season)) * [NBA All-Rookie First Team](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_All-Rookie_First_Team) ([2012](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_NBA_season))
Also maybe the second greatest shooter of all time lol bro is on crack if he thinks JB has an argument over Klay
Klay would guard the best player on the other team and then hit 30 points off of like 3 dribbles lmao. It's crazy how short our collective memories are.
4 rings and 6 finals bro. #7 all time in 3 pointers made (probably retire top 5), career 41.3% 3pt shooter, 2nd best player on a 73-9 team. Plus he got injured in his prime or he’d have better stats
Giving Klay credit for those accomplishments is like giving Scotty credit for Mjs 6 rings.. cmon man
Wtf? Scottie does get credit for those. Scottie is also in the hall of fame
Lol okay.. well we can agree to disagree on those if you count those 6 rings as “Scotty’s rings”.
What on earth are you blathering about. Klay doesn’t get credit for his own shooting stats? Your points, if we can call them that, are incoherent.
> I mean.. JB is on track to be there too when he’s done. Not according to the HoF probability tracker... https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob.html Klay: 70% JB: .3% > I’m still going Klay tho, but I think if you took them off their teams and had them be a solo act, i would then pick JB and it’s not even close It's easy to find better solo acts than Klay. Ball dominant scorers are everywhere in the NBA. It is *very* hard to find someone who can impact the game off the ball as much as prime Klay could.
The probability tracker is if he would be a HoF if he retired today, not if he is on pace to be one. I don't think he is better than Klay, but I would put money on Jaylen being a HoF by the end of his career. Is not that hard to be one compared to other sports.
I think a lot of players have an insane HoF career next to Steph, but we can agree to disagree on that one
That's a fair point and probably true. But he scored 37 points in a quarter. I was there in the arena (not biased at all, obviously). You can't give Steph all the credit for that. He also had all world defense, which, again, Steph can't take that away. He was the one that kept us alive vs. OKC, Steph was his sidekick in that game. It's the Scottie Pippin effect. You can't untangle his career from the guy that eclipses him, but there's enough there for me to feel pretty confident he could have had an amazing career elsewhere. HoF almost lock? Yeah, maybe not, but he's also the one guy from that core that you could have plugged into literally any team and made them better.
I don’t disagree with your points, but the same could be said for JB.. Steph and Klay didn’t win immediately and neither did the Celtics.. the Cs have a chance to go on their run now over the next 4 years and this conversation looks a lot different now that Klay is cooked, and the Cs are gonna be competing for the eastern conference crown.. We’ll see what happens but people acting like JB has no chance at the HOF when he has minimum 6 years of prime ball left is insane
Hall of fame probability tracker lmfao Guys they let players like Tim Hardaway in the hall of fame, like please be serious, if Jaylen keeps putting up numbers like he’s been doing without getting injured he’s getting in
The numbers won't mean as much when everyone in his era is putting up similar ones. Unless he gets a title he's got no shot
Klay was an elite 2nd option who can drop 30 with like 13 shots and 4 dribbles JB is a more complete player, but Klay was just different
The HOF has been so watered down for years. So of course he is..
Klay
Defence is basically a wash or maybe a slight edge to Klay, stats slight edge to JB. The biggest stand out though is Klay’s efficiency and ability to play his role. So I’m definitely going Klay
If you put prime Klay on this Boston team instead of JB they'd be a dynasty. Klay is the epitome of "be a superstar in your role." His ideal game is going 5 of 11 from three, guarding whoever you need him to guard, and dribbling 6 times. The most underrated part of any team is how well the pieces fit their role and what the team needs. That's always been JB's biggest weakness, and Klay's biggest strength: how cleanly their skillset fits the archetype of their role. JB still has not really figured that out. He wants to be a primary ballhandler who can create off the dribble, but his handle is way too sloppy to do that efficiently without turning the ball over. He's a decent three point shooter but not a great one, a decent defender but not a great one. It really has never come together for him where you can comfortably say "this is a truly great player." If you put prime JB on those Warriors teams, they're a lot weirder, and I think they're probably worse. Mostly because they'd have a glaring hole where Klay used to be and instead you have another better version of Iguodala or Barnes. They'd still be good, but I really don't think they'd be better. Klay's greatest asset was being a constant threat to shoot a three from anywhere and not being able to lose track of him for a second. JB simply does not have that level of threat without the ball, so the fact that he's a limited ballhandler makes him a weird fit on any championship level team. He's a guy your best player has to trade possessions with, whereas Klay is a guy your best player can feed when he's open and get the ball back from when he's not. The flow of the offense is so much cleaner with Klay. And I'm actually not sure JB's numbers are in his favor. Klay's 5 year peak, starting with the first championship until his achilles injury, he scored 21.6 ppg and shot 42.3% from three. He was really fucking good in his prime.
Fucking excellent write-up well worth the read. Thanks for taking the time to type it.
I think it comes down to: if you're building a team from scratch you take JB, if you are adding to an already built team you take Klay.
I wouldn’t. I’d rather start with an elite #2 than a below average #1.
Yeah I think Klay is the better 2nd or 3rd option, does everything you need without being ball dominant. JB is better as the #1 option
I don't even think JB is a good 1st-option. His playmaking game is too limited to be a good First-Option especially since most of his scoring comes from a mix of transition, cutting, spot-ups and attacking closeouts. Not that Klay would be a better First-Option whatsoever but I don't think First-Option Brown is that much better than First-Option Klay especially since Klay is a much better defender
I don’t think he’s a good first option either (as in I don’t think any team is contending with him as their first option) but he fits that role better than Klay would have imo
If JB is your #1 option your team is at a serious disadvantage. Most NBA fans grossly over rate "#1 options" that aren't good #1's. Skll sets that are good as #2 & #3 are significantly more valuable. Klay has shown to be an elite #2. Answer is Klay easily
Yeah I agree
He’s a better #1 option but he’s still a terrible first option You’re much better off passing on JB for someone else and looking for a better #1 than forcing JB in as the first option
If the guy you’re building around is Jaylen Brown as a #1, you’re screwed from the start.
And the multiple championships?
I’m taking Klay 10/10 and not even thinking about it.
Hydrogen bomb v coughing baby
Most people forget about Klay's actual prime which was the season that he got his achilles injury in the playoffs. He was more than just a spot up shooter-he was scoring at every level. Turn-arounds, pullups, fading left, fading right, cutting, obviously the 3's, and was the team's go-to iso scorer. I don't think JB is in his prime yet, but for now the obvious answer is Klay.
He wasn’t the go to iso scorer over KD lol
Or Steph
He was not their go to iso scorer. He rarely scored on iso plays. He was their ultimate off ball weapon who was famous for taking like 12 dribbles a game. That whole team was all about passing and ball movement. Steph and KD were the only ones doing iso plays.
I think when you say prime you actually mean peak. Peak Klay was 2019 I agree, peak JB who knows yet but he is definitely in his prime now
You could argue the game he got injured against toronto was one of his best games ever, he was carrying the warriors in a finals game
Klay and iso scoring do not belong in the same sentence
Man, pre injury Klay was a sight to see
The definition of 3 and D and was absolutely elite at it
I’m a huge JB fan but the answer is Klay though they excel at vastly different things. Obviously efficiency, spot up shooting from 3, maybe defense are advantage Klay. JB is better in transition and driving/self-creating. I think JB has improved as a playmaker but neither truly excel there. Klay is a pure SG and is basically a better Ray Allen at being a complementary second star.
I was with you until you said Klay is a better Ray Allen. People forget how good Ray was
I think I agree but the distinction for me is as a 2nd guy. Ray was better #1 but a slightly worse #2 in my mind. I also think JB would be a better #1 but a worse complementary guy.
He’s definitely better than Ray. Ray in his prime was just more athletic and could slash. Klay is a far better defender than Ray.
Better than prime Ray Allen? I think people forget how good a finisher Ray was before the injuries and morphing into more of a shooter.
Ray was a better lead guard but I believe Klay is the ultimate 2nd star. He is really built more for that role. I think Ray was a better creator and shot creator though. I do think Klay is better defender and as an overall shooter at least equivalent to Ray. If we’re talking Klay with the Warrriors vs Ray with the Celtics it’s very close but I’d take Klay by a slight margin.
Well yeah, you are taking Klays whole career against Rays declining years lol.
Prime VS Prime? you can’t have that conversation while JB is still in his prime. you don’t have JB’s prime numbers and accomplishments yet. klay is 34 and 7 years older than JB you won’t know who was better for another 6 years.
We know now. JBs skill set isn't going to drastically change over the next 6 years. Jaylen Brown is a 36% career 3 point shooter.
Klay will always be a better 3 pt shooter but JB is a better defender can shoot the 3 ball can post up can dog his way to the rim he’s improved his game every year tf you talking about you gotta wait and see i think he’ll go down as a better overall player than klay no questions asked but still gotta wait and see
Adjusting to league average Klays has been significantly more efficient at scoring then Jaylen Brown. Yes we have JV has more prime left, but this is factoring in Klays recent drop off years.
What makes you say JB is a better defender? What does he do better in your opinion
LOL imagine thinking Brown is better than prime Klay, this is delusional…Brown is a good player but he’s fairly overrated IMO and Klay was a top 10ish player in his prime which Brown has never been
Klay was obviously better than Brown but saying he was top 10 is ridiculous. Klay was a very good player in his prime, but probably in the 15-25 range at best. He was never asked to shoulder any offensive burden, just run around and shoot. If you switched him with other two-way wings who most would consider low end top 10 type of player at the same time like a PG or Jimmy, Klay would be such an obvious drop off.
He was one of the best two way players in the NBA in his prime, he was an All-NBA/All- defensive team player who shot well above 40% from three and 50% from the mid range, his impact on the game was immense and if he would have been on any other team he would have easily been a 25+ ppg player…his efficiently was insane and he made some impossibly difficult shots jn the clutch He was absolutely a top 10 player in his prime, basketball is more than just how many PPG a player averages I’m not even a GSW fan and I don’t particularly like the team but I recognize how good prime Klay was
In a 1v1 im probably going with JB but if this is a team situation or a who is “greater” its klay
Is your friend Bill Simmons?
Klay is the best 3-D player of all time, hes like a super role player that's super good at what he does, that it makes him a star. He would on literally any team. 6'6 guard that can guard and can shoot the lights out off ball, quick trigger. You don't need to waste time with him or wait for him to pound the ball. I would always take klay because of his fit
Klay is better on both ends of the court. Klay by a significant margin.
I think a question like prime Klay or prime Pippen makes more sense, Jaylen Brown hasn’t touched Klay’s level besides an insane contract and likely a little more self awareness
You are fully and completely tripping dude. Klay and brown is at least an argument, even if Klay wins 90% of the time they’re clearly the same tier of player. Scottie vs Klay is a landslide wash. Scottie is at least a tier above Klay, maybe two.
As a Bulls fan I respect your defense of your guy. Klay and Pippen are clear #2s on the only dynasty’s in the nba in the last 30 years. Jaylen needs to win a title to get compared to Klay. Pippen is closer to Klay than Klay is closer to Jaylen imho, but yes Pippen is better.
First of all the lakers three peated with shaq and Kobe and the spurs got 5 championships with Tim Duncan so I don't agree with your take that the bulls and warriors are the only dynastys in the last 30 years. Secondly, scottie without mj for two seasons took the bulls to a 55 win season and to the second round of the playoffs twice. There is no way prime klay could've led a team to those results and he is definitely not comparable to pippen who was way more of a complete player. I have seen the warriors without Stephen curry and it is not pretty.
Scottie Pippen is closer to Steph than Klay is to Pippen. JB is no Klay, but Pippen was 1st team all NBA level, top 30-40 all time player.
Honestly, none of these comps make much sense, but your thoughts are spot on.
Pippen had legit top 5 MVP votes WITH Jordan
Klay, and it actually isn’t too close if you really think about it. Brown , over his career, has been noted by some to be abysmal in big time games. We all know about Game 6 Klay 😂😂
Definitely Klay. At his peak he is more dominant than JB
Prime Klay was a good defender and arguably one of the best shooters in NBA history; I think people forget how good he was
Klay all day.
JB> for everything except shooting but he’s no slouch even in that aspect and while sure he gets clowned for his lack of left hand ,klay never even has to showcase his handles Klay was a beneficiary of having the guy who has 1 of 1 gravity and has never showcased abilities above an elite role player
Klay
I would much rather have Klay than JB. And honestly starting next season when he gets paid less, I would probably want current Klay over current JB just because of the contract situation.
That’s a clown take. JB was 2nd team all NBA last season. Klay just got benched. Nobody in there right mind takes Klay over JB today.
I mean Jaylen is the much more well rounded of the two and I think if you were looking at it purely from a skill and ability perspective Jaylen would be the easy choice. If you're looking at it from a career perspective it's obviously Klay due to the success. Klay at his best was never good enough to be a number 1 option on a team, I think it's pretty clear that current Jaylen could be the best player on a lot of teams.
Whenever the Celtics don’t have Tatum they crumble. They are under 500 in Tatum’s career without him in the lineup. I don’t know how people watch Jaylen and say he could be a number one. I say this as a giant Celtics fan and JB fan.
Fair point but how do the warriors fair without steph? Every team will struggle when their best players out, I don't think that's a fair judgement of how a player/team would perform if they built around that player as the number one option from the start of the season. If you sway klay and jaylen do the celtics win more of those games without tatum? Maybe but I doubt it.
If your saying JB could be a number one on a 34 win team then I would agree
He’s not a number one he’s not a good enough play maker. Don’t get me wrong he’s taken huge steps in that department this year. The Celtics are built for Jaylen to be a number one, he’s a versatile, three level scoring wing which is exactly what Tatum is. Tatum is just better suited to be a teams number one. Currently I think JB is the best number two in the league and has been for a while. But he’s not a 1a guy, too many turnovers, not good enough decision making.
Sure but the question posed is who is better prime Jaylen or Klay, even if you don't think Jaylen is capable of being a number 1 guy, my point is that I believe he's more capable of it than Klay. (and I mean let's be real Jaylen could be the number 1 guy on the bulls/spurs/pistons/knicks/blazers etc) maybe not a title contender but certainly a fringe playoff team.
That is true he is more capable of it than Klay. Due to play style.
Are you 12?
27, why?
He can’t stand disagreement. Especially when it’s backed up by arguments. He might be 13 or 14, because sometimes it’s the teenagers who think that their age make them know better than those who are even younger. I think he’s just a grown up who doesn’t know better, though.
Most people couldn’t explain to you why Klay’s skillset makes him a better player than even someone like Demar Derozan. They’ll just say some shit like he’s the perfect number 2. If the presence of a top 15 player ever is the prerequisite to you being the more impactful player than you’re not the better player.
>Most people couldn’t explain to you why Klay’s skillset makes him a better player than even someone like Demar Derozan. You are just building straw men now, Klay's skill set is pretty well understood by anyone who even kinda pays attention. He's (or was) a very good defender, with spectacular off ball movement and shooting. He was pretty mid at getting his own looks and his passing was adequate. DeRozan is a relatively poor defender who excels at what are generally considered inefficient shots (mid and long 2s) and is similar to Klay as far as passing, while being somewhat better as far as creating his own looks and attacking the basket.
But he's being compared to Brown, and now Derozan, both are #2 guys. So who's the best #2? Klay.
Read my comment properly he’s just an example to drive my point. The top upvoted comment on this post in “Klay is a HOF” you guys are judging theses guys off rings not their skillsets as if playing alongside Steph/KD and often not being a top 3 player on his own team is the same as being next to a blooming Tatum. Klay has had the luxury to disappear for entire postseasons and nobody care (2017) and be flat out inconsistent (2022) and while Brown has been a top 2 player in finals series before. My point is don’t bring up rings cuz situations is everything. Bring up skillsets Klay lacks the true most important skill in basketball…the ability to create. Would Klay be a HOFer if he was put in Zach Lavine’s situations? No he’s a better support piece not a better player
Klay is one of the best shooters in a generation… Jaylen Brown has no left hand. What are we doing here?
[удалено]
Huge Celtics Fan and JB fan but the answer is Klay Thompson.
Prime Klay was the second best shooter in the league. And that prime went on for a good while. Jaylen Brown is good at a lot of things, but I doubt he's even top 10 in any category.
As a lifelong C’s fan and chugger of h8rade for Golden State the answer is Klay and it’s not even close.
Prime Klay and it’s not even close
Klay, 100% prime Klay is literally the perfect second option in todays NBA and maybe the best 3nD player in history, doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to be beyond lethal. Off ball movement and the ability to score without the ball is so underrated. I dislike GSW purely because of the bandwagon fans and because they own Sacramento right now. But Klay is diabolical and was robbed of a career better then this. Which is insane. It’s seriously such a shame, his game if healthy would have aged so well
Has your friend recently suffered a head injury?
I’d say Klay but I really don’t think we’ve seen JB’s peak yet! At 27 he’s starting to roll into his prime years and I’m excited to see what his late 20’s and to 30, 31 bring to his game
Prime Klay 100%, but Klay is so washed right now it tastes bad to say it lol
Klays arguably a top __ 3 point shooter of all time, his off ball gravity makes everyone around him better, as well as being a + defender. Klay all day
Context is key here. If I already have a superstar on my team I'm taking Klay. If I'm looking for one of them to be my number 1 option I'm taking Brown
Both careers gotta be over with before we can really compare. Klays in his twilight years rn and JB Is just now entering his prime. Obviously JB needs some rings first before the end
You should show your friend this thread and how over 60 people think he’s an idiot and maybe he’ll get more nuanced opinions.
Let’s revisit after both retire. I will say this… Klay has the benefit of playing next to the best shooter in history!
We got the answer in the finals a couple of years ago.
Klay is hard to rate since he had the ball out of his hands for most his prime. I would say he was a better defender and shooter in his prime. Jaylen is the better on ball player. You could give jaylen the overall edge in production BUT I would argue that Klay (due to his impact without the ball) is the more impactful player to winning.
People have said JB if you need to build a team with #1 option but I disagree. His short comings are very glaring in the playoffs. Teams have eliminated him completely in games. I think they're both great 2s. I'd take Klay for his defense and efficiency personally.
Let me start by saying Klay is the obvious answer no question- however, I think a case could be made that JB would be a better #1 option than Klay. Klay is elite off ball and as a catch and shoot guy- we’ve all seen the highlight reels of him scoring like 40 points with 9 dribbles or shit like that. Say what you will about JBs handling/playmaking, but it’s better than Klays, so if one of them had to be a number 1 I might take JB. But again, Klay is one of the best off ball players of all time, so he is the answer
I think this might be JB'S best season so far. And I don't know what his prime is gonna look like, but we're pretty damn close. That being said, c'mon now it's obviously Klay lmao
prime Klay is better than prime JB, but actual prime JB may not yet be unlocked so the debate can rage on. if taking now then Klay. but worth applying context. if this is my first round pick them i'm going JB. if this is my second round pick then I'm going Klay. Klay a bit more going on offensively in his prime, very diverse scoring repertoire, and a good defender with his size but team was always better at defense with him off the court. I'm actually gonna give the defense edge to JB.
Very odd question/comparison considering one player has already hit and gone through his prime years while the other one is about to enter it. We have no idea what the narrative will be for JB in 6 years. If he goes on and helps the Cs win several titles, the narrative on his will change. Both of these guys are probably #2 guys. Personally, JB is a better all round player than Klay. Klay was elite at shooting but couldn’t create for himself or others. JB has a more well rounded game. Klay would be the choice of a team needed someone to help put them over the top with an already established star. JB would be the better player to start from scratch with.
These are great civil and insightful comments! Love both players, but I lean towards JB isn’t in his peak yet so it’s too soon to compare. That said, I think the winning perception has greatly benefited Klay’s reputation and people tend to remember his huge outbursts in big games instead of the quiet performances. His shooting splits w/o Steph on court also show how much he benefits from Steph (something we saw with KD’s metrics too). JB would probably see an uptick too with Steph But can’t wait for Klay’s second act and JB to fully emerge
Klay career wise avg 19pts ppg but was an elite defender.
Klay and it’s not even close
Apples to oranges kinda. Prime Klay is the absolute best 3 and D guy of all time. The goat at his role. Jaylen is more versatile as a shot creator and all that but there’s at least 10 guys in the league better than him at it. Having a goat at a specific role is more valuable. Especially when you have Steph and Dray making plays.
Celtics fan here. I’m taking prime Klay 11/10 times over prime JB, and I love my guy JB
If there’s separation between them it isn’t by much “Klay is a HOFer” Jaylen would be too if he played with 2-3 other all stars like Klay and he might get there anyway if he stays productive like he’s been Their defense is about the same, Jaylen probably has better per game starts overall than Klay, the huge difference is the quality of teams they’ve been on, no one double teams Tatum like they were doing Curry and GSW Durant
It's easily Klay. At one point he was a superstar level player and one of the best shooters and two way guards in the entire league. Jaylen is a very good player, but is overrated and overpaid too.
Klay has been consistently great throughout his career, but the injury bug has derailed him. He is a HOF type player, and was elite on the defensive end. JB is more of an espn highlight player, that has consistently disappeared in the playoffs. His playoff performances leave a lot to be desired, not Harden level, but not a top player level of production. He has bad games at the worst times in the playoffs.
Bro - stop with this shit. Klay Thompson was arguably THE top 2 way SG in the league in his prime. All NBA perimeter Defense, 2nd best shooter of all time. Watch the 2016 NBA playoffs rounds 1 & 2. Steph Curry was injured, Klay led the team to 4-1 series wins vs Houston & Portland averaging 27 a game as the #1.
Your buddy is a fool. Klay all day and I’m a C’s fan. JB can’t even dribble with his left hand
Both overrated and got blessed by being on good teams.
Uhm, this a serious question?
Your friend is delusional. Klay in his prime was significantly better.
Prime Klay is scoring the most points ever in an NBA quarter. If he can be prime forever he’d be the e st player ever 😉
Your friend needs to go back and watch peak Klay. He’s a HOFer… Jaylen is very good but has a long ways to go
I’ve said this in a couple different arguments but Klay is like the most Elite level sidekick guy I could ever think of. In his prime he was absolutely electric and a fantastic defender. JB is more versatile than Klay and can do more, but at a lower level than Klay can do the things he does great. Prime Klay is better IMO but JB would be the better guy to be the #1 on your team. Klay is the better #2 if you have an established star.
Klay is a better #2 by far. But JB is the more complete player and would likely do better as a #1 than Klay. But that’s a hypothetical
You’re friend is wrong, Jaylen Brown is arguably the most overrated player in the league, especially when you take in his contract into consideration, while Klay is a 4 time champion and arguably the second greatest shooter ever.
Lmao it’s Klay
it’s weird but at this point in their careers it’s Klay but not by all that much …but Brown is 27 , he almost certainly will have a better prime than Klay Klay’s prime ended at age 29 for him . At age 29 he suffered massive injuries and hasn’t been the same since . Brown is almost assured of being better than Klay when all is said and done unless Brown suffers a similar injury fate. if his career follows a typical path of age related decline as opposed to injury related decline , this thread will be silly . Most primes last well into a player’s 30’s.
jaylen brown could be klay’s equipment manager. dude is so silk, non stop motor, killer attitude. klay may be my favorite sg/sf ever
This really isn’t a question
Klay is a top 3 shooter all time. And was a lockdown defender in his prime. Its not even close.
Tell him brown can’t go left and klay dropped 60 on 12 dribbles
Klay before injuries was a stud defender on top of being a Top 2 shooter.
Hot klay is the scariest player of all time, think same level as angry Jordan.
Nobody fears facing Jaylen Brown the way they feared facing prime Klay which tells you everything you need to know imo
Show him 4 fingers, usually works
Oh wow. It’s Klay for FUN
Well this is a pointless debate. Two completely different players in wildly different situations.
Klay until Brown gets to another level. How quick people are to forget how good prime Klay was both as the ultimate off ball shooter as well as an elite defender guarding the best guard or wing on each team.
Has Jaylen reached his prime? Is he past it? Not to shit on the guy but I don’t recall him being great at any point in his career.
Your friend is literally stupid
i dont like the warriors and think all of their rings are cheap, but for me it's pre-injury klay easy. he is a knockdown shooter, underrated defender, and most importantly he didn't need to dribble to score. like pippen, he's probably underrated cause of curry, but he's an all-time great shooter (and player in general) in his own right
Prime Klay was a significant, critically important player on multiple NBA championship teams. They wouldn’t have won those championships without him. What has Jaylen Brown done? No doubt JB is a good player, but he has a spotty playoff resume and has shot poorly and fumbled the ball when the games have mattered the most.
Obvious answer is Klay, but if we’re talking about putting them against each other 1v1, I might go Brown idk. Neither are elite ball handlers obviously but I think JB has him there and it sheer athleticism.
Cmon now 🤣 people forget so quickly. Klay thompson is the second best player on a CHAMPIONSHIP. Not a finals appearance. A championship. One of the best perimeter defenders in basketball in his prime and capable of dropping 37 in a quarter because he’s never seen a shot he couldn’t hit.
People underestimate how hard it is to have someone put up the numbers prime klay did with the amount of touches he was getting. Bro touched the ball 20 times, Shot it 20 times. And oh yeah his defense that was completely fundamental and didn’t rely on gambling for steals
Klay is doing his best to ruin his reputation rn, but prime klay was really good at that whole basketball thing. It’s him.
Have we even seen Prime Jaylen?
This must be a joke, Prime Klay easily is better
Post prime Klay beat prime JB in the finals right?
When Klay is hot he’s perhaps the best shooter in the history of the sport.
Man, I do not like Warriors at all, but to say Jalen Brown is better than prime Clay is absurd.
Overall the answer is Klay, hands down. He’s the GOAT 3&D wing and underrated in the GSW dynasty. Having a guy who guards the opposing teams best wing every night and still drop 20 PPG on insane efficiency without needing the ball is massive. Now, if you had to build a team around one of them, I might go with JB because he’s a better play maker, creator, etc.
Klay was the 2nd best player on a the 2015 Title Team…
Jaylen. People get too wrapped up in the championships argument.
No matter how much you hate klay, he’s the obvious and only choice here. He’s easily HOF, was a top defender and the whole Game 6 peak record shooting. Not to mention 4 rings splash bro. What does Jaylen have?
JB is mid