Who has the best handles in the NBA? Luka? Shai? Kyrie? Harden?

[tmorgan]

CB's handles have always been criminally underrated.

Are we talking Christian Braun or Chris Boucher.
(Seriously though, I have no idea who CB is?)

Straight Outta Locash!

Seriously though, if you have any sense of humor and any appreciation for late 80’s hip hop, you need to see the movie CB4.

Or, for roughly the same experience (and plot), Fear of a Black Hat.

[Harry Palmer]

CB's handles have always been criminally underrated.

Are we talking Christian Braun or Chris Boucher.
(Seriously though, I have no idea who CB is?)

Christian Bale.

He’s playing a former basketball player involved in illegal gambling in his next movie so has been practicing dribbling 22 hours a day for the last sixteen months, and in the other two he’s got the sound of basketballs bouncing on a gym floor in his headphones.

[Duke4life831]

Kyrie, especially prime Kyrie I think is a runaway for this outside of Jamal Crawford.

I totally get some of the things people are saying about SGA, but I think you’re getting to more of elite handle but also elite IQ.

Overall SGA is just a smarter and better player. But if we’re strictly speaking just handles. Crawford really is the only guy I think has an argument over prime Kyrie.

I just don’t think anyone can match Kyrie’s flash with functionality.

I’ll also say, this is also one of the more frustrating aspects with Kyrie. From just a skill stand point, he could’ve been a SGA or Curry level of player.

Arguably the greatest handle of all time, elite from all areas of the floor and basically flirts with 50/40/90 every year since he entered his prime. And it sounds crazy to say the Champion, 3x All NBA, 9x All Star never put it all together. But it’s true, he should’ve been even better.

[HardenGoat]

If you ask any NBA player you would get the answer. Kyrie is the Best of all time. Not even a question with that list

[Patches Perry]

I saw someone say Shai has the best handle ever of a player 6'6 and taller.

Kyrie has a natural advantage being shorter and therefore lower to the ground. He's hard to beat in terms of raw handle.

[MMyhre]

SGA, Kyrie is the prettiest like you said, but functionaly, the player most capable to go wherever he wants is SGA.

1.6 turnovers this season on 34.2 % usage. He is the best ever at this as far as I've seen.

For comparison Westbrook had 5.4 turnovers on 41.7 % usage in his MVP season.

[SashimiLover]

Kyrie, especially prime Kyrie I think is a runaway for this outside of Jamal Crawford.

I totally get some of the things people are saying about SGA, but I think you’re getting to more of elite handle but also elite IQ.

Overall SGA is just a smarter and better player. But if we’re strictly speaking just handles. Crawford really is the only guy I think has an argument over prime Kyrie.

I just don’t think anyone can match Kyrie’s flash with functionality.

I’ll also say, this is also one of the more frustrating aspects with Kyrie. From just a skill stand point, he could’ve been a SGA or Curry level of player.

Arguably the greatest handle of all time, elite from all areas of the floor and basically flirts with 50/40/90 every year since he entered his prime. And it sounds crazy to say the Champion, 3x All NBA, 9x All Star never put it all together. But it’s true, he should’ve been even better.

I think AI may be up there with them in terms of adroitness of ball dribbling.

Some might also throw Isiah Thomas into the mix, I guess. I've never seen Isiah play myself. Some posters who have actually seen him play may be more familiar with how good his ball handling was.

[JinKaz69]

Kyrie.

Best all-time handler is Jordan. Nothing fancy just pure efficiency.

[Lalouie]

considering the position,,,,,,jokic

[JinKaz69]

considering the position,,,,,,jokic

I don't think that Jokic has a better handle than Olajuwon or David Robinson.

[JinKaz69]

Watch on YouTube

[Harry Palmer]

To me there are enough guys in the Kyrie conversation, like Marburg, AI, Francis, Nash, Isiah Thomas, Chris Paul, Tim Hardaway, Harden, etc. that it kinda comes down to aesthetics and what you prioritize. Nash and Paul were the best I’ve seen at dissecting an entire defence while dribbling, like the qb who is buying time behind the line but still looking to pass. Francis was probably the best I’ve seen at incorporating freakish athleticism into it all, Crawford, AI and Kyrie kinda look the prettiest, Harden is the most surprising, and I have no idea where to put White Chocolate in this, like if someone said he was the best hands down I wouldn’t agree, but I wouldn’t argue either.

But if you were to ask me who is considered the best ever I would probably say Kyrie.

[scrabbarista]

This is an area where I've never really felt the need to declare a winner. The four guys in the thread title are great picks. Chris Paul would be the name I'd add. Just a joy to appreciate what they do and not have to compare.

Also, shout out to the palm-on-top-of-the-ball OG, Bob Cousy.

[Lalouie]

considering the position,,,,,,jokic

I don't think that Jokic has a better handle than Olajuwon or David Robinson.

he has i guess i would call a "deft touch"
his touch is like his game...its "soft" imo
or maybe because i like him so much. like luka. i would choose luka too.

I'm not in that camp that think handles has to be Kyrie's overt handles. or glue handles like weber. I'm not one to say who has the BEST handles like who is the best GOAT. magic had GREAT HANDLES. so did bird- no one ever did the no-look touch pass like bird. is that not "handles? they had to, to manipulate the ball the way they did.

Kyrie handles in fact is boring

sh***,,, jokic almost PUNCHED a bball into the basket, and he called it

[Statlanta]

Kyrie for today but only because most smaller guards are 3 and D and ball-handling has shifted to the Haliburton's and Giannis'.

I would take Chris Paul's functional handles over Kyrie as have many people have said he does not get deep enough.