Thing about harden is 1v1, he can score a layup on you everytime...Kyrie cant do that, noone can do that except for harden. Kyrie might have fancy looking handles but when it comes to getting to the basket, Harden can basically get there 100% of the time on anyone.
When we're talking the best ball handlers in league history you have to take how good they are into account. Literally every single player on that poll above in their respective eras could take over a ball game at any given moment with their ball handling. White Chocolate wasn't on that level.
That has less to do with handles and more to do with strength. Harden uses a lot of his arms and shoulders to drive past people while Kryie is more dependent on his handles and quickness to go by people. Kyrie is a more skilled scorer. Harden has the build of a running back and is taller thus he doesn't need to be as skilled to be a better scorer than Kyrie.
We aren't talking about the best PG to play the game. We're talking about best handles. Period. This was some of his most recent work. Yes, the opponents he was facing in China a few years ago may have been lesser than his Sac-Town days, but he still shows off his handles in this video.
Curry and Harden shouldn't be on this list. Harden isn't even the best handles on his own team (Paul). Handles are one of many tools in Harden's arsenal, but being an elite scorer doesn't mean you have the best handles. Harden's ability to score so well in traffic is due to his footwork and layup finishing, not his handles. Curry's handles are also nice, but he's just being listed here above dozens of other players with similar handles because he shoots deep 3's and everyone is obsessed with him nowadays.
Rafer Alston also had legendary handles. I'd be willing to bet a lot of former street ballers have better handles than NBA stars. These players have good handles but are obviously being held in higher regard due to their name / all around game. I might put Alston's handles above Harden's. Doesn't mean Harden isn't 1,000,000x the player. This is a very specific question.
Yep. Harden’s superhuman strength is his ability to evolve - add to his game and make adjustments year in and year out. He is a true student of the game. He went from an elite 2 guard to elite point guard with no loss of scoring ability. He added the euro step and the step back as well as being the best pnr fascilitator. Now he has the floater in the paint to make up for capela not being around. When capela comes back - it’s gonna be damn near impossible for any defender(s) to anticipate where the Ball is gonna go - except in the hoop by lob, floater, layup, or corner 3. Defensively, he has also improved greatly. He also became a great team player/passer in the process. You have other stars who have only relied on one talent... when that doesn’t work blames other people and the organization.... you see that in LeBron, Howard, Westbrook to name a few. The common theme is athleticism. Credit also due to Morey, Dantoni,
