Kevin Durant 6 LeBron James Kevin Durant 9 LeBron James Kevin Durant 0 LeBron James 5. Kevin Durant 0 LeBron James 6. Kevin Durant 4 LeBron James 1. Kevin Durant 0 LeBron James 1. Kevin Durant 1 LeBron James 1. Kevin Durant Kevin Durant 7. Kevin Durant 4. Kevin Durant 1.
Kevin Durant 24, Kevin Durant 6, Kevin Durant 3, Kevin Durant 8. Kevin Durant 5. But James appears to still have Durant beat in this regard, especially when you consider his higher 6.
Yet the stats telling their contributions on and off the court tell a different story on their complete effect on their team. The Thunder are a shocking 3. Durant also has the highest PER in the league by almost two points, stealing that crown that year by year belonged to King James.
LeBron may be a superior passer right now, but from this point forward, KD is soon catching up in his overall game. In recent years, LeBron has held the reputation of being a superior perimeter defender able to guard all five positions. Durant, on the other hand, is making his mark defensively. He utilizes his lankiness to his advantage, using his long arms to clog the passing lanes and contest shots.
The result is a hefty 1. But those numbers just tell one part of the story. Durant stays in front of his man with his great footwork and, much like his quick release when shooting the ball, he can swipe the ball away with his swift hands without gambling.
And yes, that includes LeBron. And when Durant spent most of the recent Thunder-Knicks game guarding Carmelo Anthony, the reigning scoring champion, Anthony could only muster up a mellow 5-of shooting night as the Thunder won.
KD is putting up downright elite numbers. James' court vision is unmatched. He is able to get his teammates involved in the game far better than Kevin Durant. Just for stats' sake, James averaged seven assists per contest, while Durant averaged three. He can shut down any position on the court. Kevin Durant has yet to bring anything to the defensive end of the table, a major flaw in making him a complete player a la LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
An ankle injury-plagued James through the playoffs and the Lakers were eliminated in the first round. At 36, it's fair to wonder if James has finally begun his decline. His limits as a No. MVP runner-up Joel Embiid has admirably played through a torn meniscus. Still, his Philadelphia 76ers trail the Atlanta Hawks in the second round. He, too, has had fourth-quarter struggles in that series. Luka Doncic posted historic numbers in the first round but could not help the Dallas Mavericks close out the LA Clippers.
Curry had one of the greatest offensive seasons in NBA history but still could not carry his team to the playoffs. For now, the spotlight is Durant's. Each successive game only offers him more opportunity to establish himself as the premier force in the league.
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