Teague says he believed KD was better than LeBron James during his prime years.
During a recent episode of his Club 520 Podcast, Jeff Teague was challenged to choose between Kevin Durant and Larry Bird. The one-time All-Star acknowledged ‘The Slim Reaper’s’ excellence, noting that at his peak, the 2014 MVP was widely considered superior even to LeBron James. However, Teague then highlighted Larry Legend’s high-value impact throughout his 13-year-old NBA career, being the catalyst for the Boston Celtics.
“The highest of KD, I think, was unbelievable. At one point, I thought he was better than Bron,” Teague said. “But Larry Bird is nice, bro.”
KD is arguably a better scorer than Bird
While Teague is on point, stating that Durant might be the most lethal and natural pure-scorer in the modern-day NBA, the assertion that KD was a better player than James is highly debatable. Indeed, the two-time Finals MVP led the league in scoring in four of the five seasons starting from 2009-10 and secured All-NBA First Team selections. However, King James’ overall impact was more comprehensive in those years.
Not only did he match KD’s tally of registering a place in the All-NBA First Team in those years, but he also recorded four All-Defensive First Team selections, demonstrating his more multifaceted impact on the court.
Similarly, statistical analysis would reveal that Durant’s scoring average of 27.3 points with 50.1% shooting from the field and 38.7% from the 3-point line surpasses Bird’s career stats of 24.3 points per game on 49.6% shooting from the field and 37.6% from long range. However, just like James had a greater overall impact than KD when one considers Bird’s rebounding prowess, he averaged 3 rebounds per game more than the 6’11” forward in his career…Read more