Most NBA fans agree that James Harden was the best shooting guard of the 2010s. For the last few years, Harden has had some of the most impressive individual statistics in the entire league. However, there is still a strong argument that Klay Thompson was the best shooting guard of the 2010s.

Before I make the argument for Klay Thompson being the best shooting guard of the 2010s, we should compare his decade to James Harden’s.

James Harden’s career took off in 2012 when he was traded to the Houston Rockets. Harden went from a solid 6th man to a franchise player and superstar.

Here are some of James Harden’s career highlights and awards:

NBA Most Valuable Player (2018)

7x NBA All-Star

5x All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Third Team

NBA Sixth Man of the Year

2x NBA scoring champion

NBA assists leader

2014 World Cup Gold Medal

2012 Olympics Gold Medal

Although James Harden’s career really took off in 2012 , we should remember that he was a part of a Thunder team that made it to an NBA Finals. Despite Harden’s regular season success, he has yet to make it to the NBA finals as a member of the Houston Rockets. Harden also has somewhat of a reputation of “disappearing” in the playoffs due to a drop in his performance.

Ginobili denies Harden

Next, Klay Thompson’s career highlights and awards:

3x NBA champion

5x NBA All-Star

2x All-NBA Third Team

NBA All-Defensive Second Team

2016 Olympic Gold Medal

2014 World Cup Gold Medal

While Thompson’s individual accolades aren’t as impressive as Harden’s, his contributions to the Golden State Warriors are a big reason why they are considered the best team of the decade. Another argument for Klay Thompson being the best shooting guard of the 2012s can be found on the defensive end of the court.

Klay Thompson is a far superior defender than James Harden.

It is no secret that James Harden was often considered one of the laziest defenders of the 2010s. Despite what Houston Rockets fans will try to tell you, it is almost disrespectful to even compare James Harden to Klay Thompson on the defensive end.

The fact that Klay Thompson doesn’t have multiple selections to the NBA All-Defensive First team is an indication that the voters either aren’t watching the games or do not understand basketball.

Even Kyrie Irving couldn’t comprehend Klay Thompson’s All-Defense snubs.

While James Harden made a reputation for himself by giving up on multiple occasions on the defensive end, Thompson was known for guarding all over Steph Curry’s matchups. This can also be an indicator why some of Thompson’s advanced stats may not be as high as you’d think. He was constantly guarding his opponents’ best players.

You don’t have great defensive teams without great defensive players. Klay Thompson was a major reason why the Warriors had a higher defensive rating than the Rockets for most of the decade. If this was simply a contest of defense, there would be no argument that Klay Thompson was the best shooting guard of the 2010s.

Klay Thompson is more of a traditional shooting guard and would fit on any team in any era.

The 18th annual NBA.com GM survey showed how much NBA GMs respect Klay Thompson. Klay Thompson received votes for being one of the NBA’s best pure shooters, clutch shooters, and moving without the ball.

Thompson’s unique ability to shoot the basketball and score without handling the ball is a commodity that every team, and any system, would desire. Klay Thompson is also a high IQ selfless basketball player who is willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team. He is a player you can plug next to any star. He is also a big reason why the Golden State Warriors were one of the best passing teams in NBA history.

James Harden, on the other hand, is a much more ball dominant player. He is also the primary reason why the Houston Rockets are one of the worst passing teams of the decade. Harden has had the luxury of playing alongside numerous star players throughout his Rockets’ career. I’m not sure any of them benefited or enjoyed playing alongside him. In fact, I’m not sure if anyone besides Clint Capela enjoyed playing alongside Harden in the 2010s.

While I do believe Harden has an argument for being of the greatest isolation offensive players in NBA history, his style of play has yet to translate successfully where it matters most, the NBA playoffs.

A combination of many small things makes Klay Thompson the best shooting guard of the 2010s.

James Harden has dominated his position for the most the of the decade from a statistical perspective. In the past, I’ve even considered him the best shooting guard in the NBA on numerous occasions. It wasn’t until I stopped and really thought about it did I realize there was a strong argument for Klay Thompson being the best shooting guard of the 2010s.

Klay Thompason would more likely success on any team in the NBA, is more respected by his peers on the defensive end, and is a big reason why his teams have had more success than Harden’s.

Lastly, and most importantly, Klay Thompson has beaten James Harden repeatedly when it mattered most, the NBA playoffs.

A lot of what Thompson does goes unappreciated by NBA fans. I hope one day they learn to appreciate all the little things he does, and why they lead to success.

p.s, an honorable mention goes out to Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, whose peaks were only on display for a portion of the 2010s due to their age.