NBA 2018-19: Kyrie Irving vs Stephen Curry - Who has had the better season so far?

Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry have had two fairly contrasting journeys up until this point in their NBA careers. They've often clashed against each other in some of the highlight matchups of their basketball lives and have provided us with great memories to cherish even after they bid farewell to the game.

Both Kyrie & Steph are 6-time All-Stars and are talented enough to lead their respective teams to a win single-handedly.

Masters of ball handling wizardry and crafty layups, Kyrie and Steph have redefined the definition of a scoring point guard on a collective basis with every passing game. It is often debated as to who possesses the better handles in the league. One is great at shooting off the dribble from distance while the other can beat any defender with his quick first step.

While the unending debate continues, let's weigh these two megastars solely on their 2018-19 season performance so far.

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#1. Statistical Comparison

Both are the leading scorers for their respective teams.

Stephen is arguably the best shooter ever to have played the game of basketball. He is currently third on the all-time three-pointers made list and on pace to top the list till he retires. On the other hand, Kyrie has never averaged less than 24 ppg during his latest three seasons and continues to be his best version with every passing game.

For the ongoing season, Kyrie(60) and Steph(61) have played almost the same number of games with Curry clearly coming out as the leader in terms of points scored. They stack up almost equally in all other major aspects of the game with Uncle Irving dishing more dimes by a noticeable margin.

Kyrie Irving -------------------------------------------------- Stephen Curry

Surprisingly, Irving shoots 40% from beyond the arc not far behind the Splash Brother's 42% conversion from downtown.

Just recently, Curry became the first player ever in NBA history to make eight or more 3-pointers in three straight games.

#2. The impact they have had on their respective teams

Kyrie went to Duke and was drafted 1st overall by the Cavs.

When it comes to contributions towards their respective team's progress, Curry outmatches Irving by a huge margin. Not only is Steph the third highest scorer in the league(27.8 ppg), his presence on the court has often been the difference between a win and a loss for Golden State. Currently, GSW rank 1st in the West standings with Steph being their leading scorer throughout the season.

Even though Uncle Drew leads the Celtics on the offensive end, he is yet to attain the leadership level that Curry plays with night in and night out. Ever since Irving's return this season, the Celtics have not been the same as they were last year. There have been struggles all along the way as they still wait to clinch a playoff berth, currently down at the 5th spot on the East leaderboard.

#3. Who is having a better season overall?

The Warriors are en route to a three-peat.

Coming into this season, the Celtics and Warriors were expected to be the contenders for the NBA Finals. One of them has tempered all expectations while the other is on course to be the best again.

The two megastars being talked about have given their heart and soul to their respective franchises on a nightly basis. However, the results haven't fair on both sides of the fence. Kyrie has often found himself introspecting to find a leader hidden deep within in the hope to be what he thought of himself.

On the other hand, Curry is one of those players who have forged a good place for themselves(mentally) and can clearly mark his route from this point on. The ongoing 2018-19 season is just another rendition of the legacy that this man has created, starting off as the most underrated player ever to step foot on the court.

Stephen Curry has dominated the stat sheets this year around and with the playoffs not far away, has put his team in a position to grab the gold yet again.