LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant: Why the King Still Trumps Durantula on the Court
LeBron James is clearly better than Kevin Durant, and that is not a knock on Durantula—it's more of an acknowledgement of how great James is.
I feel compelled to remind the world of that amidst all the James' hate. Is there a day that goes by that we don't see some anti-LeBron headline, sign or paraphernalia like this:
Granted, many of them are hilarious, but all of them are ridiculous.
Honestly, without the hate for LeBron, Durant wouldn't be as beloved as he is. Players like Derrick Rose and Durant are seen as the anti-LeBron, and indirectly benefit from the ultimate evil perception James carries.
ESPN's Skip Bayless is perhaps the highest profile of the millions of LeBron haters.
Check out Bayless' ridiculous comparison of the two based on a summer league game.
As I said, it's not just Skippy taking KD over LeBron.
"Unfortunately for James however, championship performance and clutch play largely separate the gifted from the elite in the NBA, and Kevin Durant’s playoff progression has him primed to soon eclipse James on the list of the league’s best players.
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Really Eitan?
So what Durant has accomplished is more impressive than James carrying poor Cavaliers' rosters to the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals?
Realistically, those Cavs' teams wouldn't have won 25 games without him.
This is just another example of how LeBron's unrealistically high expectations warp the way most evaluate him. He is the most taken for granted player in basketball since Wilt Chamberlain.
Whatever your thoughts on "The Decision", his swag, or anything off the court make no mistake—between the lines, he has no equal in the NBA today.
This of course relates to ability. No one has accomplished as much as Kobe Bryant, but no player is better than James.
The most natural comparison for any player is to place his abilities next to another player that plays his position.
Durant is easily the second best SF in the NBA. If you're honest with yourself, and don't cop out with schoolyard dismissals like "LeBron traveled" or "LeBrick," you wil see that.
Is there an area that Durant is better than LeBron?
Let's examine it:
The Drive and Finish:
Do we even have to ask this question?
James has the handle and speed of a guard with the size of a hybrid forward. Add in ferocious hops and he has no equal taking the ball to the rack.
Durant is solid in this area, as he is in every offensive category, but he ain't LeBron.
Edge: LeBron
Outside Shooting:
Durant is a better shooter, period—this is the only category Durant has a decided advantage.
Durant makes 36 percent from three-point range to only 33 percent for James. Durant is also a better mid-range shooter as well.
This is the biggest factor in Durant's awesome scoring ability.
Edge: Durant
Free-Throw Shooting:
Both are solid free-throw shooters, but Durant is elite at 87 percent.
This is a huge category for scorers as they get to the line a ton. LeBron's 74 percent isn't a weakness, but it isn't comparable to Durant's efficiency.
Edge: Durant
Durant is a slightly better offensive player than LeBron. But as we all know, there is more to the game than scoring.
Passing and Ball Handling:
LeBron is not just the best passing forward in the game, he is one of the top five passing players in the NBA period.
LeBron averages more than two assists for every turnover throughout his career, while Durant averages more turnovers than assists (2.9 to 2.6).
This isn't even close.
Edge: LeBron
Rebounding:
Despite being shorter than Durant, LeBron averages 7.2 rebounds to Durant's 6 boards per game. In addition to the statistical advantage, LeBron has the ability to dominate the boards when his team needs that from him.
Edge: LeBron
Defense:
Is there a better, more versatile defender in the NBA than LeBron?
No.
What other player can defend Derrick Rose, yet still has the bulk to defend most power forwards in the NBA?
Durant has less than a block per game edge on LeBron, but James averages more steals.
Plus, defense is more than those two stats.
James is a force that teams must beware of in every game he plays in. Durant has yet to assert himself as a solid defensive presence, let alone the terror that James can be.
Edge: LeBron
Clutch:
This is the category that most of the haters will attack with James.
You will not hear me defend James' performance in the NBA Finals last year. It was far beneath what a player of his stature should produce.
However, that does not erase the other clutch performances James has produced in his career.
Did we forget about the Eastern Conference Finals last year against the Bulls? He averaged 26 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, while completely neutralizing the league MVP down the stretch.
Did you forget about this sick display in 2007 against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals?
Would it be fair to attack the nine turnover performance from Durant last year in the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks? Of course it wouldn't, because in that same game he had 29 points and 15 rebounds.
This is often the case with James—the Cavs or Heat would likely not be in position to win without James' contributions.
Therein lies the elements of James being taken for granted. His critics forget what he's done throughout the game, and the season, and they hone in on one moment of failure.
This happens to James more than any other player in sports.
All things looked at objectively, this category is incomplete.
Durant has not been to the same level as James in regard to playoff basketball. Until Durant has reached the Finals and excelled, it isn't fair to say he's a better player in the clutch.
The final tally for this comparison reads as such:
Four to two, in favor of LeBron with one incomplete. I know there will be those that disagree, or call me a LeBron James apologists, or worse.
To them I ask, what evaluation grade to you disagree with?
This is about the best player in the NBA today, as far as that goes, James is the King.
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