Kevin Durant: The Best Player in the World
Kevin Durant led Team USA in winning the FIBA World Championship for the first time since 1994. He led all scoring against Turkey with 28 points and was the obvious leader of Team USA. This FIBA USA team was known as the “B-Team” after the stars of the Olympic team did not return. No Kobe, no LeBron, no Wade…no problem. With Durant leading Team USA to a gold, people are now wondering, how good is Kevin Durant? ESPN has even been answering the question of whether he now becomes the best player in the world. My answer to this…Yes!
Kevin Durant, in my opinion, is the best player in the world but not the best player in the NBA. I am sure this makes no sense to most people, but of course I am planning on explaining myself. Let’s start with the NBA. Durant led the league in scoring last season and along with the rest of the Thunder team, gave the Lakers a run for their money in the playoffs. Although he is showing greatness, he is not yet the best player in the NBA. This argument is still between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Kobe Bryant is the leader of the current NBA champions and the best closer in the league while LeBron James may just be the most gifted player ever and has put himself in a situation in which he can finally win a ring. Durant is about to turn 22 and is a part of a very young Thunder team. Although his team could pose the biggest threat to the Lakers, Durant still has a long way to go before he gets to Kobe or LeBron’s level. Then how can Durant be the best player in the world if he is not even the best player in his league?
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The NBA is a totally different situation than the World Championships. I do not believe that either Kobe or LeBron could have led this “B-Team” to a gold medal. It is as simple as that. Kobe and LeBron are great players and can do magnificent things in the NBA but playing against the rest of the world is completely different. They both are superstars but they both also act like superstars. Neither has been able to succeed with teams with lower potential.
The argument could be made that this is not a fair assessment because many players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker did not play, and these top level players would and did take part in the Olympics but either way, Druant is a different breed of player. This whole offseason we have seen nothing but class from him, whether it be tweeting is extension, cheering on the summer league team or leading the USA to a gold. Durant is a full blown team player and the world basketball scene is a team sport. It is actually scary to think that Durant is still about 4-5 years away from his prime, think about what this kid could achieve. It will be interesting to see if he is ever able to capture a NBA title with the likes of the Lakers and Miami Heat. Most people will never consider Durant the best until he has won at least one title, but like I said before: Kobe and LeBron are the best in the NBA but Durant is the best in the world.
This is just an opinion, so please…Pardon My Bias.
