Is Former Longhorn Kevin Durant Ranked Too Low on ESPN's All Time NBA Players List?
Kevin Durant was named the 14th best player of all-time on ESPN’s recent list ranking the top 74 NBA players.
Controversial thoughts?
Just ahead of the former Longhorn, ESPN ranked Warriors star and two-time MVP, Stephen Curry. Arguably the greatest shooter of all-time has proven to be one of the best players ever, highlighted by his infamous unanimous MVP season where he averaged 30.1 points per game.
But better than Kevin Durant?
Less than a month after the 2016 season, Kevin Durant shocked the basketball world and took his talents to the Bay to team up with Curry and the Warriors. Kevin Durant went on to win two championships and two finals MVPs with the Warriors, hitting clutch three-point shots in crunch time of both years.
One glaring stat on Curry’s resume that we often hear is the zero finals MVPs. With three championships, Curry hasn't been able to separate himself from his teammates including Kevin Durant. The six-foot-ten sniper has shown to be one of the greatest scorers of all-time and superior to Curry as a defender.
From ESPN's Royce Young:
“Coming off an Achilles injury, Durant's climb back into the elite of the league isn't a given, but even if he retired tomorrow, he has stacked an all-time career. His eight years in OKC featured his best individual basketball, with four scoring titles and an MVP. No matter how you view his two championships with the Warriors -- both of which included Finals MVPs -- they will forever be high on the bullet points of his overall résumé.
Another title in a less controversial fashion could vault Durant into the top 10, and if he recovers to be even close to his pre-injury self, he could challenge some massive career numbers”.
Other glaring thoughts?
The ESPN NBA expert panel put MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo in the top 30 of all-time (27). Ahead of players such as Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, and even John Stockton, it is shocking to see Giannis, who doesn’t have a single Finals appearance, in the same conversation. While it's a promising start, Giannis has a lot to do before breaking the top 50 of all-time on my list.
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