Stephen Curry or John Wall: Which Elite Guard Would You Rather Build Around?

Stephen Curry and John Wall will square off Tuesday night in a matchup that will make point guard aficionados everywhere giddy.

Both are playing the best ball of their careers this season, but which one stands as the better franchise building block?

The Numbers

First, the per-game basics:

As you can see, Curry has advantages all over the place. He's a better scorer, a more efficient shooter and, despite losing out on the athleticism battle to Wall, a comparable rebounder. Credit the Washington Wizards' floor general for handily taking the assists category, but also be sure to note how the two players' total points generated (via their own baskets and assists) evens things out, via NBA.com:

	Points Scored	Points Created via Assist	Total
Curry	23.6	18.5	42.1
Wall	17.3	23.5	40.8

It's worth mentioning that Wall has played about two more minutes per game than Curry this season, which helps his counting stats a bit.

When we get into the advanced metrics, a reasonably even battle shifts wildly in Curry's favor.

	PER	Net Rating	Off. Win Shares	Def. Win Shares	TS%
Curry	27.7	+17.2	7.2	3.0	62.1
Wall	20.6	+6.7	3.3	2.8	53.5

In terms of overall numerical contributions, Curry's on a higher plane than Wall. The clear statistical advantage belongs to Steph.

X-Factor

Curry's shooting, particularly off the dribble, changes every aspect of a defense's game plan. On the year, he leads the league with 4.2 pull-up three-point attempts per game, per NBA.com, and he's hitting 41 percent of them. That's the highest accuracy rate in the league among players attempting at least three such shots per game.

Put simply, Curry threatens defenses in ways nobody ever has. Two players in NBA history have averaged at least seven assists and three made triples per game, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Here's the list:

1. Stephen Curry, 2013-14

2. Stephen Curry, 2014-15

See what I did there?

Just for fun, Baron Davis, Tim Hardaway and Michael Adams have averaged at least seven assists and 2.5 made threes per game, but none of them connected with Curry's accuracy, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Curry must be accounted for whenever he gets within 30 feet of the basket, and that wreaks havoc on conventional defensive strategy.

When he gets hot, the defense, already uncomfortably bent, simply breaks.

Wall's speed and vision also present unique challenges.

"Wall is a hoops intellectual. He's operating one step ahead of defenses," Grantland's Zach Lowe observed. "He knows how they'll respond to every dribble and manipulates them to create the best possible shot for teammates."

In transition, he's virtually unstoppable. And as he's learned to utilize the threat of his speed in the half court, he has excelled in finding open shooters.

Defenders naturally have to cheat toward the middle to compensate for Wall's bursts, and that creates angles for him to exploit with pinpoint passes.

Curry and Wall share the ability to hurt defenses in ways that don't seem fair. It's just that Curry's skills are more dangerous.

The System

How about a little context?

The Warriors move the ball to get Curry more open looks than any shooter of his quality has a right to see. They also utilize multiple offensive threats and excellent spacing, all of which Curry exploits as a pick-and-roll maestro.

Among ball-handlers who've run at least 300 pick-and-rolls this season, nobody has produced more points per play than Curry's 0.99, per NBA.com.

Jim Mone/Associated Press

That's as much a testament to Curry's greatness as it is to the Warriors' system and spacing.

Wall doesn't have it quite as easy in Washington. His offense lacks the flow and pace the Warriors boast, and the Wizards rank near the bottom of the league in three-point attempts per game. As good as Wall is at finding shooters in the corner, it's a little disappointing that Washington's offense doesn't put an emphasis on space or long-range shooting.

There's an argument to be made that Wall's production would be even better if the Wizards were a bigger threat from deep.

On balance, Curry is in a much better situation. However, the situation might be better because he's a part of it. A Feb. 22 loss to the Indiana Pacers emphasized how the Dubs' offense falls apart without Steph on the floor.

"He's the MVP of our league, and it's tough to replace a guy of that nature," Warriors power forward David Lee said after the disappointing 104-98 loss to Indy, per Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. "Steph can not only put the ball in the basket himself, but he also makes the game easier for a lot of other people."

Lee's half right. Curry is the MVP of the league, but it's not tough to replace him. It's impossible.

Career Trajectory

Allen Einstein/Getty Images

One of the most significant advantages Wall has over Curry is youth. The former is just 24, while the latter will turn 27 on March 14. For that reason, you could argue Wall has the better chance of taking another step forward in his development.

Frankly, it's hard to imagine Curry getting better than he is right now—both because his age suggests he's smack in the middle of his prime, and also because it's difficult to play basketball any better than Curry's currently playing it.

Then again, Steph's career month-to-month splits indicate he may not have peaked in this specific season because he always finds his stroke down the stretch.

Month	3P%
November	41.5
December	40.7
January	43.1
February	44.4
March	45.7
April	46.5

Injury concerns are largely things of the past for both Wall and Curry, though the Golden State point guard is currently listed as day to day with a sore heel. There was a time when Curry's bad ankles were a real concern, and they're the primary reason the total value of his contract is worth roughly half of Wall's.

Curry's been durable for the last three seasons, though, and Wall didn't miss a single game last year.

These guys are both playing at a high level, and they figure to keep doing so for the foreseeable future.

The Better Building Block

Elsa/Getty Images

Wall is playing better than ever and has taken steps forward in each of the last three seasons. But he's still not a good enough shooter to take full advantage of his other gifts, and he doesn't force the defense to completely change its approach.

There are a lot of fast guys with vision out there—perhaps none quite as fast or quite as perceptive as Wall, but plenty are close.

There is nobody like Curry, and it's not a stretch to say there never has been.

So if you're looking to build a team, it's probably best to start with the guy taking point guard play where it's never been before. The guy chiefly responsible for keeping the league's best team (and, statistically, one of the best ever) afloat. The guy who'll probably win the MVP.

No disrespect to Wall, but he's not on Curry's level.

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