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Jeff Teague says whether Stephen Curry or Kyrie Irving is harder to guard, ‘Too much havoc…’
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving are arguably the two greatest point guards of the 2010s generation in the NBA.

Curry has achieved significantly more, winning four championships and two Most Valuable Player awards.

However, his accomplishments do not necessarily mean that he is a better player than Irving.

Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague, who played against both in his career, has now picked which was tougher to guard.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Jeff Teague says Stephen Curry is a tougher opponent than Kyrie Irving

Teague first explained that it’s easier to defend an isolation player than someone who is constantly on the move.

“I’d rather guard somebody who’s just trying to iso me every time,” he said on the latest episode of the Club 520 Podcast.

“It’s harder to guard those players because you have to go around so many screens and stuff like that. You’re always getting screened and hit. With iso players, it’s just you and him.”

This led Teague to the conclusion that Curry is tougher to guard because he never stops running, whereas you know what Irving is going to do.

“Yeah. They’re both tough coverages, but I’d rather guard Kyrie,” he continued. “At least you know where Kyrie is going to be. You’re going to catch him right on that pass.

“If you look one way, Steph will be the other. You’ve got to catch up. He just causes too much havoc with how much he moves.”

Stephen Curry vs Kyrie Irving head-to-head record

Curry and Irving have played against each other 23 times in the NBA, developing an exciting rivalry.

The rivalry began when the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. Irving hit the series-defining shot over Curry at the end of Game 7.

Stephen Curry Kyrie Irving
Wins 12 11
Points 24.5 24.3
Assists 4.7 4.5
Rebounds 6.9 5.4
FG% 44.9 46.4
3P% 40.6 43.5
Per game stats via StatMuse

However, Curry still has the better head-to-head record and averages slightly more points, rebounds, and assists per game.

Irving has the better efficiency from the field and even from three-point range, so it really is neck-and-neck between the two all-time greats.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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