NBA Draft Class Comparison: 2009 vs 2011 - Which one was better?

The 2009 and 2011 draft classes are considered some of the best draft classes of this century. So many of the high-level NBA talents in the NBA today came from these two draft classes. They're only 2 years apart, which means the players have had about 7 to 9 years of time in the NBA to show their impact to the world.

I was inspired to write this idea after the Kawhi for DeRozan trade. Both of them are note-worthy players from these two draft classes respectively. In my piece, it will be a comparison of these two classes based off of total number of All-Star appearances, total number of awards, and finally total number of championships.

Looking back on any NBA player, these are usually the three categories we use to compare or rate players on the all-time list. In our case, we will be using them to establish which draft class produced more and better talent.

Let's meet the contenders:

Standouts

2009 NBA draft class: Stephen Curry:

The baby-faced assassin is the obvious poster boy for the 2009 draft class. He fell all the way to the 7th pick and has become the greatest shooter of all time. His two MVPs and 3 NBA championships will certainly add value to the 2009 draft class for this battle of draft classes.

James Harden:

The 2017-18 NBA Regular-Season MVP has been one of the best players in the game for the last few seasons and was a part of the stacked 2009 NBA draft class. Will his MVP and multiple All-Star appearances be enough to push the 2009 draft class over the top?

DeMar DeRozan:

This piece will be the perfect opportunity to shine a light on all of DeRozan's accolades and what the Spurs will be receiving for this upcoming season. He has become an All-Star starter level talent and has been for the last 3 seasons.

Standouts

2011 NBA draft class: Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson

The number one overall pick from this draft has definitely lived up to his draft hype. His incredible ball-handling and shooting have made him a top 3 point guard in the league today. Everyone should and will remember the dagger three-pointer he shot in the 2016 NBA finals.

Kawhi Leonard:

The newest member of the Toronto Raptors and probably future member of one of the Los Angeles franchises. Kawhi has become a top 5 player in the league with his elite two-way ability and was the star of the show in the 2014 NBA finals.

Klay Thompson:

If you thought that 2009 would win easily due to the number of championships Curry won, think again. His splash brother, Klay Thompson, is from the 2011 draft class and will help cancel out Curry's championships.

Here is how the points will be given:

NBA championships - 5 points; All-NBA First team - 3 points; All-NBA Second team - 2 points; All-Defensive First team - 2 points; All-NBA Third team - 1 point; All-Defensive Second team - 1 point; Awards - 1 point; All-Star appearances - 1 point

All-Star Appearances:

Klay Thompson and James Harden

2009 total: 22

2011 total: 19

It's amazing to see some of the names that have come out of these draft classes. Sometimes you may think to yourself, "Oh what?! I didn't know that guy was drafted that year". James Harden leads all of these players with his 6-time All-Star appearance, which is no brainer since after he was traded to Houston he showed he was on an elite level.

Kawhi Leonard's two All-Star appearance may surprise some of you, but remember that Kawhi only broke out relatively recently. Secondly, it definitely should be noted that Isaiah Thomas was the last pick in the 2011 NBA draft and made the All-Star game twice, which should give him a lot of credit for proving the critics wrong. It's also interesting that two point guards from the 2009 NBA Draft only made the All-star game once, and are yet to make their return to the scene.

2009 - 2011: 1-0

Individual accolades

Kawhi Leonard - the 2014 NBA Finals MVP

This one is going to be technical so pay attention to how points will be scored. The draft class with the most physical awards (i.e MVP, sixth man, defensive player) will receive one point. All-NBA first teams will add 3 points, All-NBA second teams will add 2 points, and All-NBA third teams will add 1 point. Similarly, All-Defensive first teams will add 2 points and All-Defensive third teams will add 1 point.

2009 NBA draft:

Awards total: 4; All-NBA First team totals: 6; All-NBA Second team totals: 4; All-NBA third team totals: 5; All-Defensive first team totals: 1; All-Defensive second team totals: 0

Total points for the individual accolades category: 36

Main Contributors:

Stephen Curry - 2 MVPs, 2 All-NBA 1st teams, 2 All-NBA 2nd team

Harden - 1 MVP, 1 Sixth Man of the Year, 4 All-NBA 1st team, 1 All-NBA 3rd team

2011 NBA Draft:

Awards total: 3; All-NBA First team totals: 2; All-NBA Second team totals: 1; All-NBA third team totals: 5; All-Defensive first team totals: 3; All-Defensive second team totals: 5

Total points for the individual accolades category: 27

Main contributors:

Kawhi Leonard: 2x Defensive player of the Year, 1x Finals MVP; 2x All-NBA 1st team, 3x All NBA-Defensive 1st team, 1 All-NBA-Defensive 2nd team

Jimmy Butler: 2x All-NBA 3rd team, 4x All-NBA Defensive 2nd team

Updated score: 2009 - 37 points, 2011- 27 points

It appears that James Harden is arguably contributing the most points among any player from both draft classes. The beard is just showing how many years he has been a superstar as well as how long he has waited for his MVP award. What is interesting to note is the impact that Kevin Durant has had on Klay Thompson.

It is obvious Golden State knows how to move the ball around, but it definitely is apparent that Durant joining the Warriors has caused Thompson to take a smaller role and become the tertiary option which is why his accolades aren't as numerous as his peers. Kawhi Leonard dominates this category with his 2x Defensive player of the Year awards and his finals MVP. Raptors/Lakers fans should get excited.

NBA Championships

Left to right: Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry with KD.

2011 NBA draft class total: 5 championships = 25 points

2009 NBA draft class total: 4 championships = 20 points

Updated score: 2009 - 57 points, 2011 - 52 points

Winner: 2009 NBA draft class

Our winner of the first instalment of battle of the draft classes is the 2009 NBA draft class. It should not as too much of a surprise with their MVP talent in Harden and Curry, but 2011 definitely brought some competition only finishing 5 points behind. Both draft classes have given us amazing players to root for and watch daily show off their skills and talents for their respective franchise. It may already be 7-9 years since these players have been in the league, but who knows?

Maybe the 2011 draft class will be able to add some more points in the future.