Is Kevin Durant now the best player in the NBA?

Kevin Durant is just 23 years of age, a 5 year veteran in the NBA, and has now carried a team that is just 4 years old to the NBA Finals. The only 3 players that have led there teams to an NBA Finals at such a young age were Tim Duncan at 22 in 1999 when the San Antonio Spurs won their first championship, Kobe Bryant at 21 in 2000 when he & Shaquille O’Neal led the Los Angeles Lakers to the first of 3 consecutive championshisp, and thirdly LeBron James at 22 carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007 where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

If the Oklahoma City Thunder win the championship this year it will be a storybook ending because in the Western Conference they went through the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the San Antonio Spurs who equal up to 10 of the last 13 NBA champions and whoever they will face in the NBA Finals whether it be the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics the Thunder will have gone through 11 of the last 13 NBA champions.

Kevin Durant should have won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award this year but LeBron James just had an historic statistical season. Kevin Durant is now the 3-time leading scorer in the NBA. He s the best scorer that I have seen in the NBA in a long time, he can shoot the 3 ball, the mid-range jumper, he can post-up, and he’s great on the fast-break.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James are definitely 1 and 2 on the list of the best NBA players but I will take Kevin Durant over LeBron James because Kevin Durant never shows any hesitation in regards to taking clutch shots. LeBron James is a superior defender than Kevin Durant but Kevin Durant is far from a bad defender so if I can have a great offensive player who is an exceptional defender on my team I will pick him over a superb defender who shies away from pressure moments on offense.