Last night for who ever was watching Inside the NBA Kenny Smith stated that in 3 yrs Kevin Durant will surpass Lebron James, while Charles & C-Web mocked him about it, I think he makes a legitimate statement... <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kg8DSwcgejs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kg8DSwcgejs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> Things to consider, Lebron will be 29 yrs old in 3 yrs, meaning that he will most likely start to see his athleticism start to diminish, just like Kobe and McGrady in the past... While at the same time, Durant will only be 24yrs old, and still developing, and refining his game... Do you agree with Kenny that Durant will surpass Lebron in three years? --RB
Perhaps... if KD can win a couple of titles, then we can start making comparisons. I think it would take at least 7-8 years for KD to even be near one championship...
i didn't watch this clip last night, but after watching it now, kenny didn't even offer an explanation to why he thinks so. so even he doesn't believe it. like chris webber said, in 3 years, lebron will try to put up near triple doubles. durant will most likely continue to score and rebound. he will never have that playmaking ability that lebron has (and that is also attributed to westbrook's ridiculousl improvement). but people think durant. but i think another guy who needs to be mentioned is derrick rose for the next challenger. his scoring is improving, though not at the rate KD is. but in the playoffs against a top tier defensive team, you see rose has no fear and averaging 25 points to him will be pretty achievable. his playmaking will definitely improve, esp. if he gets a 2-guard by his side. and his defense is improving at a rapid rate. so it could be even derrick rose. but those 2 or others will fiht for the #2 spot. lebron will most likely relinquish the best player title when he's like 32-33. i'm sure lebron will develop a post game real soon to take advantage of his ridiculous physique. webber and barkley thought he was crazy.
I disagree. It's not impossible but I definitely don't see it happening. In fact I'm still wondering why multiple have said this. It's not like LeBron is having a bad year.
I agree with Kenny.. LBJ will hit a ceiling at some point, while Durant will still be developing, allowing Durant to surpass him!
Durant is nowhere near the playmaker Lebron is, and never will be. He's nowhere near the physical specimen Lebron is, and never will be. The only advantage Durant has on Lebron is shooting ability and about an inch in height. He can be as close as any other player in the league, but it'll be a lot more than 3 years before Lebron starts to decline past the rest of the stars.
but lebron's ceiling is ridiculously high. lebron's ceiling is better than kobe in his prime and one that most likely will rival michael jordan. just b/c durant is still young and developing does not mean he can reach that ceiling. very bad argument.
kenny smith also tried to imply kobe was better than lebron right now at halftime of the lakers/thunder game (his little "kobe hits shots when his team really needs it at key moments" argument), so lets not take this too seriously. he seems to undervalue lebron almost as much as 80% of clutchfans. why do people always run to titles in individual arguments? is it just easier? and it doesn't even work here, considering lebron doesn't have a title yet. and why would KD need 7 or 8 years? his game certainly isn't 8 years away so it really just depends on how the supporting cast develops/is built.
Yup funny he said that last night considering Kobe shot them out of the game. Which he has done plenty of times.
It's weird that some think Durant can't somehow surpass LeBron as the league's best player simply because he's not a playmaker like LeBron because Magic Johnson (IMO, the best point guard / playmaker in the history of the NBA) has never been in the greatest ever discussion with the likes of Jordan, Russell, and Wilt. Sure Magic wasn't a scorer like LeBron, but he did pretty much everything damn well. Basically I don't think the lack of being a playmaker can hamper Durant's chances of "overtaking" LeBron because if Durant continues to light the NBA up and continues to improve on his rebounding and defense, there's going to be a strong case for KD.
I disagree. Lebron's decline will be quite sudden, IMO. He depends on his freakish athleticism which one injury could take away.
umm... magic johnson averaged 24 points one year and averaged 20 pts for his career (on just 13 shots). and he shot 52% for his career. i'm sure with his size and skill, he could average 25-26 points per game more consistently if he wanted to. and i'm sure people underestand that. it's like michael never averaged 7-8 dimes consistently. but he DID do that. so people know he can. the problem with putting durant v. lebron is that lebron is just as good of a scorer as anybody if he wants to, passing, rebounding v. any perimeter player... so any category you put lebron in, you can argue he can be the best at for hs position. i think it's unfair to compare anybody v. lebron b/c he's just that good. it's not knock on KD. lebron will be the best player until he declines by a lot.
You answered your own question though. Lebron is already one of the best play makers AND scorers in the game today. He and KD were neck and neck for the scoring title. And I keep reading about this inevitable injury that will turn Lebron into NYK Tmac. What kind of devastating injury will occur and when? It's the oddest criticism I've ever heard of a player. Anyways, KD has an impressive offensive game. He's shown flashes of defense and rebounding in games, and hopefully he can put that together over the course of a season and his career. While KD can match LBJ in all these categories, play making might be the toughest one. I don't think KD will do it, but if anyone can surpass LBJ he's certainly the best candidate right now.
Word. People seem to think that just because KD is a jump shooter he won't have injuries like a player like LeBron who is physical. Well hello Michael Redd, Allan Houston, and Jamal Mashburn.
I think so, Durant is such a unique talent. He is so long and can dribble very well. He can shoot, drive, and finish. It took LeBron a while to get a jump shot and it is still a little shaky. So in a couple of years, I think he will surpass LeBron.
What about his playmaking ability? Does it even exist? To be the best player IMO, you have to be great at EVERYTHING. Defense, playmaking, scoring, rebounding... just everything. Right now, Durant has everything except playmaking. You don't just develop playmaking, you can't teach court vision. That's the difference for me. I just can't see how Durant would be better later on when LeBron's is in his prime averaging a possible triple double.
Agree with Kenny wholeheartedly. Durant needs to improve on court vision and passing, but otherwise, he has all the game needed to become the best basketball player in the NBA. Durant has scoring, blocking ability, etc. He just needs PG skills, and a clutch(er) mentality.
