- Jeff Teague recently claimed he has James Harden over Dwyane Wade when it comes to all-time shooting guards
- Teague stated rings don’t matter to him
- Teague said he sees little kids in parks play like Harden, not Wade
Jeff Teague raised some eyebrows recently with his take on James Harden and Dwyane Wade. The 35-year-old former All-Star stated on his podcast that he has Harden over Wade on the all-time shooting guard list, and not many tended to agree with him on that.
During an interview with Complex Sports, Teague was asked about his somewhat controversial take and he explained further why he ranks Harden over Wade.
“When James was James, he was giving you 30-8-11,” Teague said. “Prime D-Wade gets you 30-6-5 and then James had years where he averaged 34, 36, that’s kind of crazy.
“But I think James Harden is up there. He just doesn’t have the rings to show (for) it,” Teague continued. “So they put him down a tier or whatever but rings don’t matter to me when I say somebody hoopin’. When I go to the park, I see a little kid playing like James Harden. I don’t really see little kids playing like D-Wade. I mean, not now.”
Teague does make some good points on Harden putting up ridiculous numbers at his peak. The 33-year-old won three straight scoring titles from 2018 to 2020 and was the MVP in 2018.
His statistical peak came in the 2018-19 season when he averaged 36.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. Only Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Elgin Baylor have averaged more points in a single season than Harden did in 2018-19. He has also won two assists titles, something Wade never did.
From a purely statistical standpoint, Harden gets the better of Wade, but it is the championships that people will always come back to, whether Teague agrees with that or not. Harden has none while Wade has three and the former has also earned a reputation of coming up short in the postseason.
Teague’s point on the kids might not be all that valid either, as many just wouldn’t have seen the Miami Heat icon in action in his prime.
Jeff Teague’s List Of The Top 5 Shooting Guards Of All Time
Teague did give his list of the top five shooting guards of all time here. He had Jordan at the top, followed by Kobe Bryant in second. Then come Harden and Wade and the final spot went to Tracy McGrady. Many would probably agree on the top four, with the only change being Harden and Wade swapping spots.
The McGrady selection again shows how Teague doesn’t put a lot of value in rings, as T-Mac never won one. He was amazing at his peak though and recently claimed his talent level was up there with the greats of the game. You can certainly make a case that it was but the lack of postseason success always tends to be held against him.
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