LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been dominating discussion for while concerning who reigns as basketball’s greatest current player. Although LeBron gets the most votes from NBA analysts, fans, and almost any other person in the NBA world, there are some who believe that KD is a better player. Let’s break down the comparison between the two:
First of all the two players do have similarities in their body structure but they also have major differences. LeBron is 6’8” and listed 250 pounds with a 7’ wingspan. Durant on the other hand stands at 6’9”-6’10” and weighs 235 pounds. While LeBron has a superb, close to ideal combination of size and strength, Durant has a thinner body frame. He is a bit taller and a bit lighter than LeBron. That results in him being more of a shooter than LeBron, while the King’s strongest point, or at least one of the many, is penetrating and out-muscling his opponents. So at first, we see a major difference right here. LeBron’s body allows him to be more surging when driving the lanes than KD.
One aspect of the game Durant that is considered better than LeBron is shooting, however, the numbers show a different story. Judging from the stats of the two superstars in the 2012-2013 regular season, LeBron has the upper hand. He finished the season going 56.5 percent from the field and also 40.6 percent from three-point range. Both of them were career-highs for him and that’s mostly because he paid close attention to his shot selection. We saw LeBron cutting down on his shooting from the zones he doesn’t feel comfortable. Durant on the other hand shot 51 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from three-point territory. KD has a unique ability to make shots even with tight defense on him. His height provides a great assistance when he takes a shot, because he can simply shoot over defenders. So Durant is slightly better at three-point shooting but LeBron still wins the race overall.
In almost any other aspect of the game, LeBron wins out. Last season he averaged 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, while Durant had 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists. LeBron’s ability to be the play maker and find the perfect pass for his teammates gets sometimes neglected.
On defense, Durant’s body enables him to efficiently guard some opposing big men, mostly those who are not bulky. Thanks to his quick feet he also defends the perimeter effectively. But still, LeBron is able to guard and has guarded any position on the floor. We have seen him guarding point guards, like Rajon Rondo but also centers, like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol during some stretches of the game.
The one category KD has an advantage is scoring. He averaged 26.5 points last season to top LeBron’s 25.0 points. In addition, Durant is three years younger than LeBron and that means that he is expected to get even better as time progresses.
Nonetheless, at present, LeBron clearly wins the title of the better player between the two and also the title of the best basketball player in the world.
Ron Leyba is the lead editor of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.com, and LastWordOnSports NBA Analyst. For more of his articles, follow his updates at Google+.
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