It appears the heir apparent to LeBron James's crown as the best overall player in the NBA is Kevin Durant.
Many could say a couple of other players, but player to player, stat to stat, and intangibles, KD comes the closest.
He isn't there just yet for various reasons.
The stats all time aren't in Durant's favor. Bron dunks more and doesn't shoot as much (doesn't mean he can't shoot). Nevertheless, Bron scores in other ways and will allow superstars to get involved to put the best product out there. Yes I know what team Durant is currently on, but Bron has now did this on three different squads.
While Durant is great, he hasn't showed killer instinct or the ability to take over a game yet. You cannot show you are the best until you do this consistently.
Also, LeBron has carried many of his teams on his back. Durant has carried maybe two, and is surrounded by a superteam currently. LeBron let the league in minutes played for 3 or 4 seasons. Durant didn't even do that at OKC, although they weren't deep at the time either.
Finally, Durant still hasn't developed himself into being the face of the league. He has to score more, demand the ball more, be more aggressive, stronger (an issue he's had all of his career) and perhaps more visibility in the form of endorsements and giving back to the community. Bron may have a four year head start on KD but still stands head and shoulders above the rest there also.
Next year may be a year of changes for Durant. Could that come in going to a team like the Knicks and showing he can carry a struggling team to greater heights. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, just see things as they are.
No comments:
Post a Comment