Like many basketball fans, Charles Barkley feels that LeBron James is the best all-around player in the world. Barkley’s choice for No. 2 is a little surprising — Klay Thompson.
“I think Klay Thompson is the best all-around player in the NBA, other than LeBron James. Kawhi Leonard is third. The only reason I say Klay Thompson is that he’s a better offensive player than Kawhi Leonard. But those are the second and third best players in the world.”
Once we get past the rather immense shock of Barkley saying anything remotely complimentary of the Golden State Warriors, this is actually hard to argue with.
Thompson is routinely tasked with guarding the opposition’s best perimeter player. More often than not, he at least finds a way to contain those guys. Thompson does all of that while also being one of the best shooters and overall scorers in the NBA.
LeBron is certainly No. 1. But with that exception, it’s hard to imagine a player doing more on the court to help his team win than Klay Thompson.