Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade?

[K.So]

Who is currently the league's Top SG? Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade? This is an interesting debate seeing that Kobe was said to be in the "decline" of his career, and the fact I love both players, but root for the Lakers. I'll put in some basic player and team stats to start comparisons 2011-2012:

Kobe Bryant: LA Lakers (20-14) Dwyane Wade: Miami Heat (26-7)

38.2 MPG 32.2 MPG
28.4 PPG 22.4 PPG
4.9 APG 4.8 APG
5.8 RPG 4.4 RPG
3.9 TOPG 2.6 TOPG

10.3 FGM 8.6 FGM
23.7 FGA 17.0 FGA
.435 FG% .502 FG%
.285 3PT% .077 3PT%
.828 FT% .804 FT%

1.3 SPG 1.7 SPG
0.3 BPG 1.7 BPG

All-Star Starter (2011-2012) All-Star Starter (2011-2012)
2x NBA Player of the Week
1x NBA Player of the Month

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*Will add "Stats per 48 Minutes" and "Metric Stats" like PER, etc.

Of course, these are only statistics...there are other measures to measure whether a player is better than another.

[loloben]

Dwayne Wade.

[DamnYanks2]

A healthy Dwayne Wade.

[AlexBrady]

These questions always boil down to hype. Recognizing what a player's job is and how well he does it is important. So, Wade scores most of his points on the run in Miami's full speed ahead game plan. Kobe scores his points off various isolations and post ups.

Wade obviously has more juice in his legs so he can exert more energy on defense, tailing cutters, denying, anticipating, ect. Kobe has to pick a few spots to really clamp down. Kobe hasn't been able to play consistent all out defense like Wade in about 10 years.

There are many other categories to judge but each player is well-suited for their respective team's gameplan. Kobe's phenomenal in between game is perfect for the Lakers' half-court sets. With the middle open in Miami, Wade is free to assault the rim. For me, they are both truly great players.

[Kashanova]

Quote: Originally Posted by AlexBrady

Kobe scores his points off various isolations and multiple possesions.

Fixed.

As for the question. Wade. At this point he's a more efficient scorer, a better defender and a better locker room presence as far as team morale goes....

[Drewski]

I had a post laid out, but I think it'll just be easier to say Dwyane Wade and walk away.

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kashanova

Fixed. As for the question. Wade. At this point he's a more efficient scorer, a better defender and a better locker room presence as far as team morale goes....

Tell us more tails of what goes on in both locker rooms. From my couch the only behind the scenes influence I remember is Wade making fun of Dirk being sick and influencing miniMebron to copy it. It's great to have someone who's been in both locker rooms to give us these kind of details. (in short, lets stick to what we know)

My choice would be Wade but closer to AlexBrady's statement. He is a better defender but being a more efficient scorer is subjective considering the teams' style of play and other players around them that can and need to create their own shots (allows for better shot selection and less shots being put up).

[Drewski]

Kobe Bryant. (Surprise) Wasn't even going to respond it's pointless but I've been baited.

For all the frustrating things that Kobe does (wish there was a stat for how many times he's missed Bynum wide open under the rim, amongst other things), he's still the best SHOOTING GUARD in the league. Playing in a Lakers offense where -nothing- comes easy, there is no fastbreak, there is little to no ball movement (he is a factor in this, but more often than not the rest of the team just hands off to Kobe and prays when it all comes down to it).

He forces a -ton- of shots, but the shots he hits are absurd. No one, save possibly Dirk, can hit more higher degree of difficulty shots in the league than Kobe. Say what you want about that, but in a league where defenses are only getting better, smarter, and more athletic, that counts for a great deal. You need -that- guy who can get a shot off on his own abilities, not just open jumpers and fast break points (not saying that's all Dwyane is by any means, just in general. Wade is crafty as well, but not on Kobe's level yet).

Hate ALL you want on how he plays through injuries and it gets spoken on through the media, but he isn't the one speaking on it. He just plays through it. Wade has never played a full season, and has only played 5 seasons more than 70 games. Kobe is more durable, despite playing through the nagging injuries, and playing a much higher amount of time in the playoffs. Over the last 5 seasons Kobe has missed 9 games, to Wades 54.

It's hard to compare because they play in two entirely different systems. Kobe has to constantly work out of a half court set, while Wade plays in a more open system highlighting athleticism. Miamis offense effectiveness is MUCH higher than the way the Lakers are currently running their offense, with new personnel, a new coach, and a new system. Kobe is a better half court player, Wade is a better player in an up-tempo offense.

Defensively, Wade has Kobe beat, without a doubt. Can't argue that, at all.

Footwork its Kobe and its not close.

Kobe has great court vision, despite what many believe. He is extremely talented at hitting cutters, and driving into the paint and getting it to his bigs. Wade is a good passer as well, and generally has higher assist numbers because his mentality lends itself to that. Kobe is always looking to score. Wade generally plays the floor a bit more. The triangle doesn't lend itself to high assist numbers, so that's definitely kept Kobe's assists in that 4.5 – 5.5 range. When he facilitates more than attacks, he's very effective. His passing ability is, at the very least, on par with Wade's if not better partnered with his vision.

Kobe is a better rebounder than Wade as well.

Overall, skill set wise, all things considered, I still have Kobe over Wade.