Who has the best crossover in the NBA?
Kevin Love was asked that as part of the American Express Home Court Advantage videos the NBA has done and he came up with a pretty good list:
“Kyrie (Irving) is right there. So shifty and can do so many things with the ball. Derrick Rose, his change of speed and change of direction is unlike any other. Russell Westbrook is right up there because he’s so powerful. You know, those guys are amongst the elite when it comes to handling the ball.”
We all should have seen Kyrie Irving (Love’s current point guard) and Russell Westbrook (Love’s good friend and college teammate) coming, he leans on those guys a lot whenever he talks point guards. Even if Westbrook isn’t exactly known for his crossover. Rose (who shares an agent with Love) is certainly a good call if he returns to vintage form next season (we’ve seen that only in stretches since his return from injury, but hopefully next season those stretches are much longer).
Personally, I’m not sure how you leave Jamal Crawford and Stephen Curry off this list, unless you’re just naming people with ties to you. But the fact is the NBA is loaded with ball handlers who have killer crossovers and Love’s list is respectable if not perfect.