The battle for supremacy between Lebron James and Kevin Durant reached its peak in mid 2010s when their former teams Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors figured in two NBA Finals battles. The current Houston Rockets star got the Los Angeles Lakers counterpart’s numbers for that.
Seven years have past since then and to this day, people still measure who between the two is the better player.
Bleacher Report talked to multiple NBA general manager to answer that question and their answers will surprise people. It is not clear what the specific questions are but according to the publication, the GMs were asked to “break down their games in five different categories and provide the definitive answer to the question.” These categories are shooting, playmaking, defense, motor, and clutch.
These front office personnel will have plenty of materials to use in their assessment. Lebron is entering his 23rd season while KD is on his 18th.
The first category – shooting – had an obvious result. GMs picked Durant and he got the stats to back him up. KD was better in all areas of the floor.
LeBron, meanwhile, has trailed well behind Durant in field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage and effective field-goal percentage over the last five years.
Another give away is the playmaking category which was handed to James who is fourth in the All-Time assists leaders. This is impressive given the fact that he is not a point guard.
Kevin Durant picked by GMs over Lebron James
The next three categories is where it got confusing. The surveyed GMs think Durant is a better defensive player and has greater motor. James is the one that’s more clutch.
KD never had any All Defense Team citation while King James got six – five First Team and one Second Team. Lebron even almost won the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and he is still upset about it.
James is also known as someone who plays like a freight train while KD devastates defense through his outside shooting. But the latter got the better motor according to those who were asked. They are basing their 2024-25 season performances for this.
Last season, Durant’s average speed throughout games and on defense were both higher than LeBron’s. He also traveled around 2.4 miles per game, compared to LeBron’s 2.3. He more than doubled the number of loose balls LeBron recovered per game and nearly doubled the number of shots he contested.
Finally, the clutch plays, something that is discussed throughout their careers. Durant sent two dagger threes right in front of James in 2017 and 2018 finals to bury them. However, James is still the more clutch one.
The winner and the better player according to this survey: Durant.
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