Durant Will Overtake King James As The Face Of The NBA

LeBron James is currently the face of the NBA. Since being drafted in 2003, James has been the most dominant force in the league and established himself as one of the premier scorers and playmakers. James has averaged just under 28 points per game, seven rebounds per game and seven assists per game. He has drawn comparisons to the great Oscar Robertson and without a doubt deserves all the praise he has received. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the championship hunt and certainly would not be without him. However, if LeBron isn't careful, he may lose his spot as "the face of the NBA".

Kevin Durant, a skinny 6-9 small forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is taking the league by storm similar to the way Michael Jordan did in 1986. Durant isn't averaging 37 points per game, but he is averaging 30. It should also be pointed out that he is only 21 years old, while Jordan was 23 at the same stage in their careers.

Durant is likely not going to be in the same stratosphere of greatness that Michael Jordan was. However, his career path as the face of the NBA is similar. It is a valid comparison and when his career is over, people may look at 2010 as the year that he took his first step to greatness.

The parallels between 1986 and 2010 are eerily similar. In 1986, a third-year player for the Chicago Bulls by the name of Michael Jordan was taking the NBA by storm. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the faces of the league and were in the championship hunt, while Jordan's Bulls were a fringe playoff team at best. Jordan would eventually overtake Bird and Johnson as the face of the league and go on to win 6 NBA championships. In 2010, we are possibly facing a similar situation.

When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were drafted in the late 70's/early 1980's, the NBA was desperate for a player or players that could be the face of their brand. Both players assumed the role and dominated the 1980's. Some would even argue that they ruled the entire decade. It's hard to argue with that; combined they won 80% of the championships. However, at one point somebody was going to have to take the torch.

Michael Jordan didn't necessarily take the torch from Bird & Magic by force. It was a slow process and truly wasn't complete until he defeated Magic in the NBA finals in 1991. Kevin Durant definitely has a long way to go before he is without a shadow of a doubt the face of the NBA. He needs to win MVP's, scoring titles and make a name for himself in the playoffs. He does have a chance to accomplish all these things though with his skill-set.

Durant is a lights out shooter with the ability to carry a playoff team by himself, as he is showing this year. The Thunder would be the fifth seed in a stacked West if the season ended today and Durant, averaging 30 points per game is a big reason why. His defense is improving as fast as any other player in the NBA as well. Once he grows into his body, the possibilities for this player are endless. If he is scoring 30 a game at 21, he could be doing even bigger things at 26. He is the complete offensive package and the sky is the limit.

Durant has the skills, mass appeal and flash to be the face of the NBA. His main competition, LeBron James is a fantastic player in his seventh season and there's no debate that he currently runs the league. Before, there may have been a debate about who's the better better, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. As Kobe ages and LeBron takes his game to another level though, that has finally been put to rest. If LeBron doesn't watch out though (meaning win a championship), the 21-year old Kevin Durant will be ready to take his spot. While LeBron is the more powerful player, Durant is the more complete offensive player and still has a glimmer of potential left. LeBron can make minor tweaks to his game, but Durant still has the chance to take his game to a higher level. After leaping LeBron to become the leading scorer of the league last night, Durant may be ready to make a make another gigantic leap over him into the pantheon of greatness.