[LA12Participant]

 How close has it gotten between the two? I’ve seen and heard many people think it’s gotten extremely close between the two in regards of who is the better overall player.

I have to say myself, even though Durant is putting up monster numbers, I still don’t think he’s at Lebron’s level.

Hear me out, I think James can put up numbers like this if he wanted to/had to as well, but he just doesn’t have to. Remember all those times in Cleveland where he was a one man wrecking ball? He took the team to the finals, and their second and third best players were Larry Hughes and Drew Gordon. Lebron showed a long time ago he could be a one man team at any time just like Durant has recently.

Now that I’ve gotten it clear that I think both are capable of singelhandedly leading a team, let’s go to what I think seperates them. Lebron has otherworldly versatility. He can guard every position on the court effectively, he can play every position on the court effectively (maybe not center at times but I still think even at this position he could dominate on nights), and he’s shown that he has otherwordly efficiency. Don’t you think Lebron could be putting up numbers like Durant’s if he were in Durant’s position right now? I think he might even be capable of doing better. I heard something that made me realize something: Lebron’s already won a scoring title. He doesn’t have to prove at all that he can get points. He just has to show that he can do everything at a high level so his team can achieve.

I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is that separates Lebron from Durant at this point, but if you were to compare their abilities it would look

Shooting: Durant > Lebron
Passing: Lebron > Durant

Defense: Lebron > Durant

Scoring: Lebron = Durant (I might get negged for this, but I think Lebron could easily go point for point with Durant and maybe even outscore him if he really wanted to go into that mode, just never has to. He might not do it as efficiently from long range as Durant does but I think overall he could)

Leadership: Lebron > Durant (At time Durant’s leadership was really questioned. Could he lead a team all by himself? I think Lebron proved this a long time ago taking his teams to the best records and even the Finals once almost all by himself)

Intangibles: Lebron > Durant (James’s high IQ, versatility, etc)

Playmaking (being able to get themselves and everyone else into the game): Lebron > Durant.

 

This got longer than I intended it to, but as a big Lebron fan who really doesn’t feel like working on his college research paper right now, I just wanted to let some things out lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LA12Participant]

 Forgot to mention that Durant proved his leadership recently, which lead to me saying that I think Lebron proved it long ago

[LA12Participant]

 Forgot to mention that Durant proved his leadership recently, which lead to me saying that I think Lebron proved it long ago

[AmiableBaller34Participant]

 I think you’re delving a little too deep into this. The only thing that seperates LeBron from Durant right now is that LeBron is an elite defender. Untill Durant starts to lock in defensively and shut down the opposing teams best player he won’t be better than LeBron, but I still think he will get their. 

Right now Durant is on another level offensively, and he’s not even in his prime yet. When he’s 27-28 I think you’re going to see a new level of dominance out West, and we’ll be talking about Durant in the same manner that we speak about LeBron now. 

Durant’s already been to the finals, and will probably be going to a few more. When it’s all said and done he has the potential to be a top player of all time, and depending on how much his team improves, could go down as a top 15 player all time. Durant is a rare mix of Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, and that is an almost dream like combination of talent and physical ability. The scarey part is that he could still improve and get better. 

I think it’s now more of a 1a and 1b type of deal now than it’s ever been, and  totally expect Durant to succeed LeBron in the next couple of years when his hunger and thirst just takes control. Right now the edge still goes to LeBron, but after this year I don’t know if we can say that with much certainty anymore. 

[AmiableBaller34Participant]

 I think you’re delving a little too deep into this. The only thing that seperates LeBron from Durant right now is that LeBron is an elite defender. Untill Durant starts to lock in defensively and shut down the opposing teams best player he won’t be better than LeBron, but I still think he will get their. 

Right now Durant is on another level offensively, and he’s not even in his prime yet. When he’s 27-28 I think you’re going to see a new level of dominance out West, and we’ll be talking about Durant in the same manner that we speak about LeBron now. 

Durant’s already been to the finals, and will probably be going to a few more. When it’s all said and done he has the potential to be a top player of all time, and depending on how much his team improves, could go down as a top 15 player all time. Durant is a rare mix of Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, and that is an almost dream like combination of talent and physical ability. The scarey part is that he could still improve and get better. 

I think it’s now more of a 1a and 1b type of deal now than it’s ever been, and  totally expect Durant to succeed LeBron in the next couple of years when his hunger and thirst just takes control. Right now the edge still goes to LeBron, but after this year I don’t know if we can say that with much certainty anymore. 

[LA12Participant]

 I get what you’re saying that Durant has a chance at top 15 all time, but Lebron has a VERY legitimate shot as going down as THE greatest of all time. Plus in a few years Lebron will be on the wrong side of 30. It’s hard not imagine that at the age of 33-34 Lebron will have slowed down enough to the point that Durant has a chance at passing him as the best player at that moment.

 

 In the end, though, I think Lebron’s going to have the much more superior resume and overall career. Obviously at some point he won’t be the best player in the L, that doesn’t mean Durant would have somehow surpassed him. That’s just the unfortunate effect of age. No one can be the best at something for their entire lives. Then at some point someone will obviously become the best player in the L over Durant. I’m not concerned with the in the moment stuff, I’m talking about all time I don’t think Durant has that big of a chance at catching up to Lebron.

[LA12Participant]

 I get what you’re saying that Durant has a chance at top 15 all time, but Lebron has a VERY legitimate shot as going down as THE greatest of all time. Plus in a few years Lebron will be on the wrong side of 30. It’s hard not imagine that at the age of 33-34 Lebron will have slowed down enough to the point that Durant has a chance at passing him as the best player at that moment.

 

 In the end, though, I think Lebron’s going to have the much more superior resume and overall career. Obviously at some point he won’t be the best player in the L, that doesn’t mean Durant would have somehow surpassed him. That’s just the unfortunate effect of age. No one can be the best at something for their entire lives. Then at some point someone will obviously become the best player in the L over Durant. I’m not concerned with the in the moment stuff, I’m talking about all time I don’t think Durant has that big of a chance at catching up to Lebron.

[AmiableBaller34Participant]

 Are people still trying to make the Jordan comparison? At this point in his career LeBron has proved that he isn’t the same player as MJ, and probably never will be. LeBron might be the most talented player ever, but with two final defeats (One of them being an absolute no show), and multiple playoff let downs, I just can’t see the argument any more. LeBron is a great player, best of his generation and probably top 10 player all time, but at the end of the day the "Greatest of all Time" argument just doesn’t apply to him any more. 

The only time I ever felt like LeBron was "there" was during this last years playoffs and finals, and even then he let that one slip away and probably shouldn’t have won his second ring. I know that’s all speculation on my part, but LeBron isn’t getting any younger, and we’ve seen enough of his career to determine that he isn’t the greatest ever. Even if he were to win a few more rings I think myself, and a lot of the basketball community, would have a hard time putting him in that #1 spot. 

For me I would have LeBron on the same level that I have Shaq. An overly powerful player who dominates his era, went to a bunch of finals, lost a few, moved around, but was a dominant force till the day he retired. LeBron isn’t retiring anytime soon, so he still has a chance to add to his legacy, but right now I wouldn’t say he’s surpassed Jordan. 

[LA12Participant]

But how do you say we’ve seen enough of him when every year he comes out and looks even better? He’s improved in some way every year and doesn’t look to stop. 

[LA12Participant]

But how do you say we’ve seen enough of him when every year he comes out and looks even better? He’s improved in some way every year and doesn’t look to stop. 

[AmiableBaller34Participant]

 Are people still trying to make the Jordan comparison? At this point in his career LeBron has proved that he isn’t the same player as MJ, and probably never will be. LeBron might be the most talented player ever, but with two final defeats (One of them being an absolute no show), and multiple playoff let downs, I just can’t see the argument any more. LeBron is a great player, best of his generation and probably top 10 player all time, but at the end of the day the "Greatest of all Time" argument just doesn’t apply to him any more. 

The only time I ever felt like LeBron was "there" was during this last years playoffs and finals, and even then he let that one slip away and probably shouldn’t have won his second ring. I know that’s all speculation on my part, but LeBron isn’t getting any younger, and we’ve seen enough of his career to determine that he isn’t the greatest ever. Even if he were to win a few more rings I think myself, and a lot of the basketball community, would have a hard time putting him in that #1 spot. 

For me I would have LeBron on the same level that I have Shaq. An overly powerful player who dominates his era, went to a bunch of finals, lost a few, moved around, but was a dominant force till the day he retired. LeBron isn’t retiring anytime soon, so he still has a chance to add to his legacy, but right now I wouldn’t say he’s surpassed Jordan. 

[highflyer0Participant]

 I don’t like when people say Lebron could score as much as Durant if he wanted to, because I don’t think it’s true.  Lebron is a tremendous player, but give me a break. If he could score 40-50 points, why wouldn’t he do it when the team is losing?  It’s not like the Heat are undefeated.  There have been times when a huge scoring game would have been beneficial to the team.  

[highflyer0Participant]

 I don’t like when people say Lebron could score as much as Durant if he wanted to, because I don’t think it’s true.  Lebron is a tremendous player, but give me a break. If he could score 40-50 points, why wouldn’t he do it when the team is losing?  It’s not like the Heat are undefeated.  There have been times when a huge scoring game would have been beneficial to the team.  

[FritzParticipant]

 I disagree, whether Lebron’s team is losing or not in a game does not mean Lebron should just jack up more shots. His teamates are still good players whether the heat are losing or not. If he was back with the Cavaliers, then yes he should just start trying to pour on 50 because its the best chance for his team to win. Which, he did a lot when he played for them. Lebron helps his team more by setting up his teamates and being extremely efficient when he scores, and that is the case whether they are losing or not.

I personally believe Lebron could match Durants scoring output if he wanted to. Lebron’s still the best player on the planet and he has no flaws in his offensive game. If you gave the Cavs Lebron the current Lebrons improved jumper and post moves I would expect similar things to when Kobe had all those 50 point games.

 

 

[FritzParticipant]

 I disagree, whether Lebron’s team is losing or not in a game does not mean Lebron should just jack up more shots. His teamates are still good players whether the heat are losing or not. If he was back with the Cavaliers, then yes he should just start trying to pour on 50 because its the best chance for his team to win. Which, he did a lot when he played for them. Lebron helps his team more by setting up his teamates and being extremely efficient when he scores, and that is the case whether they are losing or not.

I personally believe Lebron could match Durants scoring output if he wanted to. Lebron’s still the best player on the planet and he has no flaws in his offensive game. If you gave the Cavs Lebron the current Lebrons improved jumper and post moves I would expect similar things to when Kobe had all those 50 point games.

 

 

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I second this.  LeBron doesn’t score 40-50 because he doesn’t need to.

If you don’t think LeBron can score at the same pace as Durant, I present to you LeBron from ages 20-25, where he averaged 29 PPG.  Durant through those ages averages only 26.9.

LeBron has shown that he can score at that pace, I mean, his offensive game has just gotten better since he was 21 when he averaged 31 PPG.  Do you really think he couldn’t average 31 PPG as a 29 year old in his prime but he could as a 21 year old with tons of holes in his offensive game and no jumper?

We’ve already seen the "score a bunch of points" LeBron, he went through that phase and learned that winning is about playing both sides of the court as well as doing all of the little things and making your teammates better.  I have no doubts that Durant will get there eventually.

Honestly, there’s a reason LeBron has logged more points throughout his first 7 seasons than Durant.  Because LeBron used to fill the scoring category up in Cleveland.  How quickly people forget that he averaged 30+PPG twice in his first 5 seasons in the NBA.  Something Durant only did once.

I mean, just look at the offensive players that the Heat have, they are stacked with All-Stars and veterans that have scored tons of points throughout their careers.  Durant has to score tons of points because he doesn’t have guys that can necessarily create for themselves.  Jackson and Lamb are still young, Ibaka hasn’t logged a post move in weeks, Collison, Perkins, and Adams score garbage buckets.  LeBron on the other hand has All-Stars Wade and Bosh.  He has Ray Allen, a premier bucket-maker of the last 15 years.  Chalmers and Cole have really improved.  Battier, Beasley, and Lewis have scored in the teens before.

The Heat have players that can create for themselves, which is why LeBron doesn’t need to average 30+ PPG. 

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I second this.  LeBron doesn’t score 40-50 because he doesn’t need to.

If you don’t think LeBron can score at the same pace as Durant, I present to you LeBron from ages 20-25, where he averaged 29 PPG.  Durant through those ages averages only 26.9.

LeBron has shown that he can score at that pace, I mean, his offensive game has just gotten better since he was 21 when he averaged 31 PPG.  Do you really think he couldn’t average 31 PPG as a 29 year old in his prime but he could as a 21 year old with tons of holes in his offensive game and no jumper?

We’ve already seen the "score a bunch of points" LeBron, he went through that phase and learned that winning is about playing both sides of the court as well as doing all of the little things and making your teammates better.  I have no doubts that Durant will get there eventually.

Honestly, there’s a reason LeBron has logged more points throughout his first 7 seasons than Durant.  Because LeBron used to fill the scoring category up in Cleveland.  How quickly people forget that he averaged 30+PPG twice in his first 5 seasons in the NBA.  Something Durant only did once.

I mean, just look at the offensive players that the Heat have, they are stacked with All-Stars and veterans that have scored tons of points throughout their careers.  Durant has to score tons of points because he doesn’t have guys that can necessarily create for themselves.  Jackson and Lamb are still young, Ibaka hasn’t logged a post move in weeks, Collison, Perkins, and Adams score garbage buckets.  LeBron on the other hand has All-Stars Wade and Bosh.  He has Ray Allen, a premier bucket-maker of the last 15 years.  Chalmers and Cole have really improved.  Battier, Beasley, and Lewis have scored in the teens before.

The Heat have players that can create for themselves, which is why LeBron doesn’t need to average 30+ PPG. 

[LA12Participant]

I’ve become a firm believer that the Heat kick it up a notch after the All-Star game. It’s happened consistently for the last couple seasons. I just feel like they don’t concern themselves that much with the actual season since they know they’re basically a lock for a top three seed in the East. 

[LA12Participant]

I’ve become a firm believer that the Heat kick it up a notch after the All-Star game. It’s happened consistently for the last couple seasons. I just feel like they don’t concern themselves that much with the actual season since they know they’re basically a lock for a top three seed in the East. 

[rileymcshea3Participant]

 LeBron is still the overall better player but not by far. But let’s gets one thing straight. LeBron is not as good at scoring as Kevin Durant is, simply because he is not near as good at shooting. KD is one of the best shooters in the NBA, and might be only behind Steph Curry right now.

[rileymcshea3Participant]

 LeBron is still the overall better player but not by far. But let’s gets one thing straight. LeBron is not as good at scoring as Kevin Durant is, simply because he is not near as good at shooting. KD is one of the best shooters in the NBA, and might be only behind Steph Curry right now.

[LA12Participant]

I know Durant is the better shooter, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Lebron can’t get as many points as Durant. I think Lebron just doesn’t show it as much because he doesn’t necessarily need to, but when he needed to he averaged 30+ ppg in a season. As it stands, Lebron’s highest scoring season trumps any of Durant’s. I’m not talking about who has the better scoring ability, Durant is obviously the better in pure scoring skill. I’m talking about just plain out the ability to put points on the board. Lebron’s athleticism gave him so many easy points. It’s the same thing that allowed Griffin to average 20+ ppg as a rookie.

So yes, I admit Durant is the better scorer in terms of scoring skill, but in terms of just raw ability to put points on the board I think it’s closer than many think it is.

 

 

[LA12Participant]

I know Durant is the better shooter, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Lebron can’t get as many points as Durant. I think Lebron just doesn’t show it as much because he doesn’t necessarily need to, but when he needed to he averaged 30+ ppg in a season. As it stands, Lebron’s highest scoring season trumps any of Durant’s. I’m not talking about who has the better scoring ability, Durant is obviously the better in pure scoring skill. I’m talking about just plain out the ability to put points on the board. Lebron’s athleticism gave him so many easy points. It’s the same thing that allowed Griffin to average 20+ ppg as a rookie.

So yes, I admit Durant is the better scorer in terms of scoring skill, but in terms of just raw ability to put points on the board I think it’s closer than many think it is.

 

 

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 LeBron is also shooting the lights out this season.  He is making 49.4% of his catch-and-shoot jumpers, compared to 40.3% for Durant.  Now, Durant is better on pull-up shots and takes 1.9 more catch-and-shoot jumpers per game, contributing to his lower percentage.  Obviously, Durant is the superior shooter.  But for a player whose primary value comes from attacking the rim, LeBron is a really good shooter.  

And LeBron James is even better attacking the rim, although Durant maybe the next best in the game attaking the rim (Manu Ginobili also puts up comparable numbers).  On the season, James is shooting 62.8% on drives to the rim on an average of 6.6 attempts per game.  Durant shoots 57.1% on 5.7 attempts per game.  Both those numbers are extremely high.  To put those numbers in perspective, Carmelo Anthony shoots 51% on drives to the rim, Paul George shoots 46.5% on drives to the rim, John Wall shoots 46% on drives to the rim, Blake Griffin shoots 42.9% on drives to the rim and Thaddeus Young shoots 41.2% on drives to the rim.

Durant has more finesse to his game, but he just isn’t as physically dominant.  LeBron has just committed to a lower usage role during the regular season for Miami and is much more choosy with his scoring attempts.  KD is closing the gap between him and James, but James still is probably the league’s best player.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 LeBron is also shooting the lights out this season.  He is making 49.4% of his catch-and-shoot jumpers, compared to 40.3% for Durant.  Now, Durant is better on pull-up shots and takes 1.9 more catch-and-shoot jumpers per game, contributing to his lower percentage.  Obviously, Durant is the superior shooter.  But for a player whose primary value comes from attacking the rim, LeBron is a really good shooter.  

And LeBron James is even better attacking the rim, although Durant maybe the next best in the game attaking the rim (Manu Ginobili also puts up comparable numbers).  On the season, James is shooting 62.8% on drives to the rim on an average of 6.6 attempts per game.  Durant shoots 57.1% on 5.7 attempts per game.  Both those numbers are extremely high.  To put those numbers in perspective, Carmelo Anthony shoots 51% on drives to the rim, Paul George shoots 46.5% on drives to the rim, John Wall shoots 46% on drives to the rim, Blake Griffin shoots 42.9% on drives to the rim and Thaddeus Young shoots 41.2% on drives to the rim.

Durant has more finesse to his game, but he just isn’t as physically dominant.  LeBron has just committed to a lower usage role during the regular season for Miami and is much more choosy with his scoring attempts.  KD is closing the gap between him and James, but James still is probably the league’s best player.

[417basketballfanParticipant]

 lebron and durant are in the category of that nobody shut them down on offense. If they have a bad game its not because of the defense its because they just had a bad game. So I would have to say that lebron could easily score 40 a game just as Durant is doing recently.

[417basketballfanParticipant]

 lebron and durant are in the category of that nobody shut them down on offense. If they have a bad game its not because of the defense its because they just had a bad game. So I would have to say that lebron could easily score 40 a game just as Durant is doing recently.

[417basketballfanParticipant]

 lebron and durant are in the category of that nobody shut them down on offense. If they have a bad game its not because of the defense its because they just had a bad game. So I would have to say that lebron could easily score 40 a game just as Durant is doing recently.

[417basketballfanParticipant]

 lebron and durant are in the category of that nobody shut them down on offense. If they have a bad game its not because of the defense its because they just had a bad game. So I would have to say that lebron could easily score 40 a game just as Durant is doing recently.

[Anton123Participant]

While LeBron is obviously the more well-rounded player with a better career, I think Durant is having the better season, leading a worse team to a better record while posting more impressive numbers

[Anton123Participant]

While LeBron is obviously the more well-rounded player with a better career, I think Durant is having the better season, leading a worse team to a better record while posting more impressive numbers

[druneave3Participant]

 Watch them go head-to-head……….. This debate isn’t in question. 

Still, we could possibly be looking at two of the top 10 players in NBA history. 

 

[druneave3Participant]

 Watch them go head-to-head……….. This debate isn’t in question. 

Still, we could possibly be looking at two of the top 10 players in NBA history. 

 

[machu46Participant]

I’m okay with the idea of Durant currently being the MVP of this season, but LeBron is still the best player in the NBA.

Even looking at advanced metrics, LeBron has a better TS%, eFG, TRB%, and AST%, so you could argue that LeBron is still better statistically this year even though the raw numbers favor Durant.

 

 

[machu46Participant]

I’m okay with the idea of Durant currently being the MVP of this season, but LeBron is still the best player in the NBA.

Even looking at advanced metrics, LeBron has a better TS%, eFG, TRB%, and AST%, so you could argue that LeBron is still better statistically this year even though the raw numbers favor Durant.

 

 

[jwall1Participant]

 Lebron is still the better overall player, but Durant takes the cake in regards to his scoring ability. 

[jwall1Participant]

 Lebron is still the better overall player, but Durant takes the cake in regards to his scoring ability. 

[jwall1Participant]

 Lebron is still the better overall player, but Durant takes the cake in regards to his scoring ability. 

[jwall1Participant]

 Lebron is still the better overall player, but Durant takes the cake in regards to his scoring ability. 

[HaleParticipant]

Lebron is better, Durant is having the better season. Durant has actually been the vastly superior defender this year too. Lebron may have finally peaked (then again he turned it up around this time last year so who knows) and Durant could finally catch him next season.

[HaleParticipant]

Lebron is better, Durant is having the better season. Durant has actually been the vastly superior defender this year too. Lebron may have finally peaked (then again he turned it up around this time last year so who knows) and Durant could finally catch him next season.

[Author]

Posts