No, Kevin Durant hasn’t surpassed LeBron James and he never will
By Jason Timpf
A year and a half of success with the greatest supporting cast ever assembled does not change the near-decade of evidence that preceded it. Kevin Durant never was, nor will he ever be, on the same level of Lebron James.
Kevin Durant, attempting to put out the fire from his sensational “passing the torch” comment, went to Mark Medina of the East Bay Times to elaborate just before his Christmas day clash with Lebron James.
Durant said:
"It’s my turn to be in there with [the NBA greats] and enjoy being one of the best players in the world. It wasn’t the fact that I took it from LeBron and he’s gone now. Obviously he’s still around."
He misused the “torch” metaphor, he’s conveniently ignoring the fact that he was “one of the best players” long before he went to the Bay, and I’m pretty sure it’s a little disrespectful to use the phrase “he’s still around” to describe a still-peaking LeBron James.
But let’s forget about all of that. The more interesting question is this: Why in the world have we allowed ourselves to completely change our perception of Durant so late in his career?
732. Seven hundred and thirty-two! That’s how many times we saw Kevin Durant suit up in a Seattle SuperSonics or Oklahoma City Thunder jersey. He is nothing short of a known commodity.
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We saw him as a talented phenom lead a team to the NBA Finals in 2012, a team that put Durant alongside Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Derek Fisher and Kendrick Perkins. You probably forget that Westbrook averaged 27.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in that series.
Durant was in a very similar role to the one he now plays for Golden State. Just score the basketball and close games in crunch time.
He did close Game One and he scored throughout the series. However, James was better and Durant left empty-handed.
We saw him have to win a series without a co-star when Westbrook hurt his knee in 2013. Durant missed 41 of his last 59 shots in that series and the Thunder lost in five games to a Memphis Grizzlies team that went on to get swept in the next round.
Famously, in Game Three of that series, Durant missed back-to-back clutch free throws in the final minute that cost his team a chance to tie or take the lead. Even Durant, the man I believe to be the best scorer of all-time struggled to score when his supporting cast was compromised.
In 2014, he came up short against the San Antonio Spurs. No shame there. So did LeBron. That San Antonio team was an all-time great team.
In 2016, he was partially complicit in the collapse against the Golden State Warriors. In games five and six, both closeout opportunities, Durant missed 40 of his 62 attempts. What did LeBron do in games five and six against the Warriors?
41 points. Twice.
I say all of this not to disparage what has been a phenomenal career for Durant, but to remind you that a 16-1 postseason run with a 73-win supporting cast doesn’t erase all of those examples that I just listed.
We have a plethora of evidence that Durant was never capable of the feats LeBron achieved.
When Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love went down, LeBron swept a 60-win team and came within two wins of an NBA title. When Westbrook went down, Durant fell apart. His hometown paper (inappropriately) called him “Mr. Unreliable.”
In Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors, Durant was outplayed by his (now teammate) Stephen Curry. For three straight games to end the finals, LeBron asserted his dominance over Curry.
This is stone cold evidence, years of it. Before joining the Warriors, Durant was 4-17 in head-to-head matchups with Lebron. He is 6-2 since.
Durant has never been on LeBron’s level. LeBron is on a level only one man has ever achieved: Michael Jordan.
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Joining a 73-win team and winning a bunch of basketball games does nothing to change that.
When Durant almost assuredly hoists the Bill Russell trophy again this June, it will mean just as little as it did last year.
We know what Durant is. He is quite possibly the greatest scorer ever. He has recently become a defensive force. I believe he has cemented his legacy as a top-ten player of all-time.
However, he needs teammates to fill the holes created by his weaknesses. He is, self-admittedly, not a great leader. In addition, we have seen several examples of his scoring becoming far less efficient when he faces the brunt of a defense’s attention.
Yes, LeBron is getting old, but he hasn’t slowed down yet. Durant turns 30 this year. By the time LeBron does age, Durant will be among the aged himself and the likes of Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo are already showing LeBron-like, multifaceted dominance.
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Durant is almost certainly the greatest number two to ever play in this league, and there is no shame in that title. But LeBron, Jordan and all of the others to hold the NBA’s crown as the best in the game are in a room without him.
*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com