ESPN released their latest Top 25 Under 25 rankings, and at the top of the list there aren't too many surprises. Anthony Davis has the top spot locked down, followed by productivity monster DeMarcus Cousins. John Wall comes in third in the latest edition, followed closely behind by Kyrie Irving.
To coincide with the new rankings being released, TrueHoop's Amin Elhassan and David Thorpe had a nice debate about who they thought had the higher ceiling.
If we're being honest, both sides had really good points and it's hard to say that either side is wrong. As much as you may want to disagree with Elhassan's verdict, you can understand his stance.
The new rankings serves as just the latest reminder that the John Wall - Kyrie Irving debate is probably never, ever going away. Even though both play the same position, they each excel in different areas, which make the two hard to compare.
Like most debates, it ultimately comes down to personal preferences or all-encompassing stats that boil down players to a single number. As we all know, some people's preferences will never change:
"I'm not ready to put John Wall in the class of the elite point guards like Chris Paul." - Feinstein
— Brendan Darr (@BrendanDarr) December 10, 2014
And if we're being honest. those all-encompassing stats, even at their best, still have those same biases built in, depending on who constructed the stat. For every person that wants to point to Kyrie Irving having a higher PER and better offensive skillset, there's someone who will prefer Wall's disruptive abilities on defense and his higher RPM. It's just a matter of what you like in a point guard.
You already know our bias, and what we like in a point guard, so we're not going to waste precious time and digital ink telling you why we think John Wall is better. That said, we're happy to see that as the Wizards continue to grow, that finally, we can have a healthier, more balanced debate about the merits each player brings to the table.