It’s a guarantee that the NBA’s best three players during the 2010s included Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, and Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant. For Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley, though, there’s a superstar that sits behind those three and can be considered the fourth best player of that decade.
The 2010s started with the late Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers capturing the title in 2010 and Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks winning in 2011. While both players were great, they were clearly near the end of the respective primes. The same can’t be said though for LeBron James who led the Miami Heat to a pair of rings in 2012 and 2013.
After winning a third ring with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, majority of the championships won during the decade went to the Golden State Warriors. Their first run in 2015 featured Curry as the number one option, while their two other rings in 2017 and 2018 had Durant as the dominant star.
All three players are considered the best of the decade for the rings they won, the numbers the put up, and the combined accolades they won during the period. Moreover, their impact on the game and how it is played also made James, Durant, and Curry stand out from their peers.
Milwaukee Bucks Guard Patrick Beverley Names James Harden As 4th Best Player of the 2010s
Since the trio of stars has been established as the top guys of the decade, there’s an argument to be made for the fourth-best player of the 2010s. For Milwaukee’s Patrick Beverley, that guy is going to be James Harden, as seen in a video posted by his official podcast’s account on X.
Who’s the 4th best player in the decade of the 2010’s? pic.twitter.com/rtUQ2qPG8C
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) June 5, 2024
Beverley makes a good point since the Beard’s peak years saw the then-Houston Rockets star average 32.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.8 steals from 2017 to 2020. Apart from those stacked numbers, Harden also won three consecutive scoring titles and an MVP in 2018.
Although other players like Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard may present their respective cases as the fourth-best player of the decade, Harden’s body of work speaks for the All-Star guard. With everything he did during the late 2010s, it looks like Beverley made the right call after all.
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