Derrick Rose’s Prime is Overrated

Recently I have seen many polls saying that Derrick Rose had a better prime than Stephen Curry. I am here to put this narrative to rest. I will be comparing both of their best seasons by their per 100 possession stats, which accounts for the adaptation of the games pace. Per 100, in 2010-11, Derrick Rose averaged 35.6 points, 10.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals on 44-33-85 shooting splits. In 2015-16, Steph Curry averaged 42.5 points, 9.4 assists, 7.7 assists, and 3 steals, on 50-45-90 splits. During these seasons both players had a defensive rating of 103, but Curry’s offensive rating of 125, was much higher than Rose’s 113. The stats advantage goes to Curry, but the difference is not drastic, unlike their advanced metrics. Rose had a total BPM of 6.8, (6.3 OBPM and 0.5 DBPM). Curry’s number are nearly double, a total 11.9 BPM, (10.3 OBPM and 1.6 DBPM). Curry has a higher VORP of 9.5, compared to Rose’s 6.7. Curry had a win share of 17.9, more than Rose’s 13.1. Both players in their seasons had a usage rate of 32.6%, with very similar turnover percentages. Lastly, Curry had a PER of 31.5 and a true shooting of 66.9%, both way higher than Rose’s 23.5 PER, and 55% true shooting. I think Derrick Rose was a fantastic player and should be in consideration for the Hall of Fame, however, the narrative that his prime was better than Steph Curry’s is foolish.