NBA MVP 2012: Why Kevin Durant Will Steal Award from LeBron James

By just about every statistical metric, LeBron James had a slightly better season than Kevin Durant. And by every estimate, James is a more well-rounded player with the rare ability to defend just about anyone.

That doesn't give LeBron an airtight case for deserving MVP honors, though.

Sure, the en vogue sentiment is that beyond all his numbers, James' real value has more to do with how much better he makes each of his teammates. There's a lot of truth to this, and his 6.2 assists per game in the regular season suggest as much.

But while James is at the center of almost every Miami possession, making plays for himself and his team alike, Durant is making his guys better too.

Just not in the same way.

Durant doesn't dominate the ball as much as James, as demonstrated at least in part by his comparably smaller usage rate. Durant is content to let Russell Westbrook handle most of the play-making and the Thunder are better for it.

Just as there's truth to the notion that LeBron actively makes his team better, there's also truth to the adage that less is more–and that Durant does just as much for his team by sometimes doing less.

Durant may not get as many assists, but that doesn't mean his value off of the ball is any less significant.

As long as he's patrolling the perimeter, his defender can't stray too far. Durant's the kind of lethal scorer who helps Scott Brooks' club space the floor evenly—if not especially—when he doesn't have the ball in his hands.

He's also the kind of leader who's perfectly fine with playing a role among other leaders. At times, James hasn't looked especially comfortable in that position.

In fact, James may be have had such a great season precisely because the torch had finally been passed his way with no caveats or reservations. He can thank Dwyane Wade for that.

But would someone like James be able to coexist with Russell Westbrook? Would James Harden still have the same opportunities to control games off the bench if he played with LeBron instead of Durant?

Yes, James has made his team better mostly because it's his job to do just about everything for the Heat. Durant makes his team better by allowing his fellow superstars to do what they do best, even if that costs him a few stats.

Given the differences in how these guys play, it's actually pretty impressive that Durant's production comes even close to James. And yet, Oklahoma City's superstar scored more, rebounded just as well and put together a highly-underrated defensive campaign.

James may wind up taking home yet another MVP award, but this one probably belongs to Durant.