Jeff Teague Says Rings Irrelevant In James Harden, Dwyane Wade Debate
Throughout the years, James Harden and Dwyane Wade were compared due to their positions.
But no matter what, both play completely different.
On July 26, an episode of Jeff Teague’ podcast Club 520 went viral. In the video, former Teague, a former NBA player, said he had Harden over Wade on the top 5 shooting guards list.
“I got Harden over D Wade but I’m out of pocket,” he said.
During a recent interview with Complex Sports, Teague kept his stance and gave his explanation behind it.
“When James was James, he was giving you 38 and 11,” he said. “Prime D Wade get you 36 and 5. And then James had years where he averaged 34, 36. Like, that’s kinda crazy. But I think James Harden is up there. He just doesn’t have the rings to show it. So they like 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.”
Though he is past his prime, Harden is considered one of the best shooting guards of all-time. After holding a reserve role with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he became an All-Star with the Houston Rockets. He led the league in scoring from 2018-2020 and had an influence on how the game is played today.
But it might be a stretch to raise him above Wade. When Wade played, he dominated the position with not only scoring but defense. He’s even recognized as one of the best slashers in history. These are things Harden still has trouble with.
So even with rings aside, Wade might be a better shooting guard than Harden.
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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.
