Is LeBron James or Kevin Durant More Important to Their Team's Title Hopes?
There is no question that LeBron James is the most important player to his team's success. Obviously, Kevin Durant is second on that list, but when taking a close look, James has the clear edge.
There are certainly X-factors that will need to step up for both teams, but their engines are powered by what the two MVP candidates do. Going beyond what is evident with the naked eye, the numbers support this claim.
LeBron James led the NBA in PER (Performance Efficiency Rating) for the fifth year in a row with a 30.7. Durant was an awesome, but inferior 26.7 in this category. For those that are unaware, this is a formula that determines production per minutes played.
It has become very popular and, in many ways, the most referenced stat for judging basketball excellence.
That said, James dominated this year as he has the past five seasons. James does more with his time on the floor than any player in the NBA, Durant included. What's more important than that?
Another relevant stat is win shares. This stat is based on a formula that calculates how many wins one player brought his team. It takes into account defense and offense, and with 14.5, James led the NBA in that category as well. It's the fourth year in a row he has been tops there.
Durant was again stellar, but secondary, accounting for 12.2 wins for the Thunder.
All season long, James proved his worth to his team was greater than Durant's. The win-share formula is a complicated one, but it has proved to be reasonably accurate over the years. Having the PER and win shares give us the same conclusion provides support for both claims.
That's why he won this thing for the third time:
Then again, this is just the regular season. We're not only in the playoffs; this is the NBA Finals, baby. This is a new season, new rules—or is it?
Things have held true to regular-season form in the postseason as well. At 31.2, James' PER has been even better since the truncated season came to an end. Durant has also stepped up his game with a 27.9, but it still isn't on the King's level.
The same thing goes for win shares. James has accounted for 4.8 wins for the Heat in the postseason alone—Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals should have counted for two. This performance was one for the ages:
Durant has accounted for 3.2 of the Thunder's postseason victories. That proves things from a statistical standpoint, but what about just watching the flow of the game?
It's still LeBron.
He takes the most difficult defensive assignment in the fourth quarter, no matter the position. He also stays aware of the ball and must be accounted for as a shot-blocker and a terror in the passing lanes.
Watch him read the play and snuff out Tyson Chandler at the rim in the first round of the playoffs:
He has played more positions overall and generally has far more duties on the floor than Durant. His worth here was magnified by Chris Bosh's absence in parts of the last two series.
It's obvious neither of these teams could accomplish anything close to this success without their best players, but no one means more to his team's success than LeBron James.
Feature image from DayandaDream.com and Streetball.com
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