Rank Their Primes

[Ed Monix]

Rank these four contemporaries in terms of their prime years in the NBA.

- Carmelo Anthony
- Jimmy Butler
- Paul George
- Paul Pierce

[Donoghus]

-Melo
-Pierce
-George
-Butler

Not necessarily the order I'd want each, though. I think Pierce/George is close but Pierce was more durable.

[gouki88]

Prime years, or prime year singular? Because Paul George had the best individual season of the group with his top 3 MVP season (Melo did this too, but PG plays elite defence).

If it is years plural, then I think George & Butler get knocked due to all the time they've missed with injuries.

[Donoghus]

Prime years, or prime year singular? Because Paul George had the best individual season of the group with his top 3 MVP season (Melo did this too, but PG plays elite defence).

If it is years plural, then I think George & Butler get knocked due to all the time they've missed with injuries.

I took prime as in their prime stretch but who knows.

[Roy H.]

Absolute peak?

George -> Carmelo -> The Captain -> Butler

[Who]

#1 Pierce

Pierce was the most well rounded of the four. He could score in every way. In transition, in post ups, in the mid post, from the perimeter, off the dribble. He could handle. He could pass. He could play plus D and he rebounded well. He had everything.

Nobody else on the list has everything.

Jimmy doesn't have the jumper. Melo and PG13 are not the passers or ball-handlers that Pierce is. PG13 is not the low post or midpost threat that Melo, Pierce or Jimmy is.


PG13 is tough to rate. He didn't have much of a prime. He had an early prime in Indiana pre-injury, then he had missed time and recovery seasons, then almost like a 2nd prime post-injury but that too has been interrupted by injuries while in LAC. He has lacked post-season success in OKC. His final years in Indy were with dodgy teams. So we didn't get to see PG13 in a long playoff run during these late years in Indy and in OKC. He has played with strong teams in LAC but again the injury bug has struck. I find it hard to rate him next to these other guys.

Part of me leans towards rating him last as least proven and another part of me wants to rate him 2nd behind Pierce.


I find it hard to separate this trio so I lean towards Melo as #2 due to longevity of elite play / prime years.

Melo probably has the longest stretch of strong years of the remaining trio from around 2007 to 2015. Something like that.

PG13 too many injuries. Up and down career.

Jimmy started slow and gradually built himself up from 3rd stringer to role player to starter to all-star before peaking as a top 10 guy these last couple of years. He doesn't have the longevity of Melo in terms of length of prime years but his absolute peak is comparable to Melo. Led Miami to 2 NBA Finals. Dang impressive.

#2 Melo
#3 Jimmy
#4 PG13

I don't think Melo or PG13 could lead that Miami team to the Finals twice. Maybe Jimmy should be 2nd.

[Moranis]

George finished 3rd in MVP voting and 3rd in DPOY voting in the same season.  That is BY FAR the best individual season of any of those 4 players.  And that was in OKC so post-injury, but was also his last healthy season.