Oklahoma City Thunder: Comparing the Superstars, Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James

Kevin Durant and Lebron James are two of the best young superstars in the NBA right now. The high play of the pair often leads to them being compared. While both are very different players, they are also extremely alike in many ways.

But who's better? That's the question everyone seems to want to know. The only way to tell is to look at every aspect of the game, comparing and contrasting the two young stars and all their abilities.

Here is who wins each aspect of an individual basketball player's game.

Ball-Handling and Passing

This is an area for Kevin Durant to work on. He has struggled somewhat with ball-handling in his career, especially holding the ball out on the perimeter. His dribbling is actually very good for his size though.

However, Durant's career turnover average is actually lower than Lebron's, which is surprising considering that most fans consider Lebron a better ball-handler. Then again, Lebron handles and passes the ball much more than Durant as the main facilitator for his team.

In the end, Lebron gets the edge in this category because of his ability to handle the ball like a point guard (seven assists per game for his career). Durant is not an assist guy as much as he is a pure scorer (2.7 assists per game in his career).

Edge: Lebron

Driving to the Hoop

Both players are good in this particular area in very different ways. Lebron is maybe the most fierce and furious driver to the basket of all time. He uses his size and strength to pound through opposing defenses and make earth-rattling dunks.

Durant is a bit more finesse, using his length and speed to slice between defenders and make fantastic plays. Although he has shown some power as well.

Ultimately, I have to give this one to Lebron. He just can't be stopped when he drives to the basket. Durant is a good driver, but not as good as Lebron.

Edge: Lebron

Rebounding

These two guys are pretty close once again, this time in rebounding.

Kevin Durant has averaged a very solid 6.3 rebounds per game in his career, which is especially good for a perimeter player. Meanwhile, Lebron has averaged 7.1 per game, less than a rebound more than KD.

However, James also has 20 pounds on Durant, which makes a huge difference in this area. That extra weight keeps him from being pushed around by bigger guys in the post.

Once again, King James gets the nod.

Edge: Lebron

Defense

Neither of these players has been a superb defender during their time in the NBA. Both have been high-volume scorers for the most part who have been serviceable at best on the defensive end.

However, Lebron has shown here and there that he has the potential to be an elite NBA defender. His strength, size and lateral quickness are nearly unparalleled in the NBA ranks.

Meanwhile, Durant is still working to find his defensive side. He has improved considerably since he first entered the league and has shown a willingness to use his long frame to block and alter shots. He still struggles at times though.

Not much to go on in the stats department, Lebron has averaged 0.5 more steals per game while Durant has averaged 0.1 blocks per game. Bron-bron gets the nod here for being a better one-on-one defender.

Edge: Lebron

Shooting

This is probably the most lopsided area of this slideshow.

Durant has outperformed James in career three-point percentage, free throw percentage and shooting efficiency. What do I mean by shooting efficiency? Durant has averaged 1.4 made three-point attempts per game in his career, the exact same number as Lebron. However, Lebron has required more attempts per game (4.2 to Durant's 3.8). Durant also makes more free throws per game with less attempts than Lebron.

The free throw percentage is the most lopsided of the stats. Durant has averaged about 14 percentage points higher than Lebron for his career.

Edge: Durant

Teammate

Much has been made about the character of Lebron James. Many say that he was or is a bad teammate, especially when he left Cleveland for the greener pastures of Miami.

However, I do not consider James a bad teammate. Granted, he has mishandled some situations, but he has always seemed to get along well with teammates. I have no inside knowledge about him, so I must take what I see at face value.

Durant has never been accused of anything like being a bad teammate. He seems to care very much about his team and genuinely enjoy their success on the court as much as his.

Many made a big thing of the Westbrook-Durant "drama," but it was overblown. They seem to be friends who are just learning to play the game together (much like another duo in Miami). Like James, I have no inside knowledge here so I must take what I see at face value.

I give this one to Durant, simply because he seems to have more fun with his teammates.

Edge: Durant

Clutch Factor

Here we have perhaps the most controversial factor in determining how great a player is. Do certain players really have a clutch factor or clutch gene as ESPN's Skip Bayless likes to call it? Are there some guys who rise to the occasion in the big moments?

It appears that there are and that's all we need to justify ourselves talking about it.

I am not one to necessarily say that it is completely James' fault that he has not won a championship. However, he certainly deserves more of the blame than anyone else. He has come up big in playoff games, but he hasn't been big enough to win. As the most talented player in the game, that is a problem.

Durant seems to be building a reputation for making the big shot at the right time. Last season, he made a big shot against the Knicks at the buzzer to win and, in the playoffs, he came up big in games where the Thunder needed to finish off an opponent (41 points vs. Denver, 39 points vs. Memphis). It does hurt a bit though that he was unable to do more to help the Thunder against the Mavericks, even if that team went on to win the title.

Ultimately, I must give this to Durant. I just can't forget about James giving up against the Celtics during his last game with Cleveland.

Edge: Durant

Verdict

Right now, both players are at the top of the NBA. But what about the top of this debate?

James is clearly a better overall player right now than Durant. He has more experience, is better at driving the basketball and is really good at getting his teammates involved.

Durant appears to be in the intangibles. He is a great teammate and wants to make those big plays that turn superstars into legends.

James gets the overall nod, but Durant is catching up to him.

Edge: James