Austin Rivers is weighing in on the NBA’s greatest scorers, and while LeBron James tops the all-time points list, Rivers says his game doesn’t measure up to Kevin Durant’s when it comes to pure offensive skill. Speaking on the ‘Off Guard’ podcast, the former NBA guard ranked Durant alongside James Harden, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, and Allen Iverson as the best scorers he’s ever seen, and claimed LeBron “doesn’t have half” of Durant’s offensive bag.
“LeBron is number one [in scoring], but his game doesn’t match a prototypical scorer,” Rivers argued. “It’s also not sexy. LeBron’s game is built on force, sheer will, dedication, his mind, his IQ, the way he is able to dissect and control a game, and power, above anything else. He wills himself to the basket.”
LeBron tops the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 42,184 points in his career. He can score in myriad ways, and he’s only gotten better over time as he’s adjusted his game to match whatever fits best with his team and the state of the game itself. Still, Rivers says that Kevin Durant is the more versatile and better all-around scorer.
“Now, you have to give the guy credit. As he’s gotten older, he’s become a better jumpshooter,” Rivers continued. “LeBron has scored more points than Kevin, but Kevin can score in a much bigger variety of ways than LeBron. You can argue with the wall, but that’s just the truth. LeBron doesn’t have half the offensive bag that Kevin has.”
Notably, it’s not just Durant that Rivers has over King James. He named other classic scorers before LeBron, effectively leaving him out of the conversation entirely.
“I would say Kevin [Durant], Carmelo [Anthony], James Harden, Kobe [Bryant], Michael [Jordan], and [Allen] Iverson are the best scorers I’ve ever seen,” Rivers declared.
As an 11-year NBA veteran, Rivers has played with and gone against many iconic scorers, including both Durant and LeBron. In his mind, while James may beat out the field in every other category, scoring is something he’s not the best at.
Compared to someone like Durant, James has some limitations, particularly with outside shooting. Durant doesn’t have such limitations. The 2x champion and former MVP is currently boasting career averages of 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on 50.2% shooting from the field and 39.0% shooting from three.
Even after 17 years in the NBA, Durant is considered one of the best at putting points on the board, even though he hasn’t achieved the same degree of team success as some of his peers. Going into the 2025-26 campaign, Durant is expected to pick up where he left off in Houston, but it remains to be seen if it’ll be enough to enhance his basketball legacy.
While Rivers’ take will undoubtedly spark debate among fans, it underscores just how high the bar is for offensive greatness in the NBA, and how differently players and observers define what it means to be the game’s “best scorer.” For some, it’s about efficiency, versatility, and a deep offensive arsenal. For others, it’s the ability to consistently dominate games and pile up points over a long career. In Rivers’ eyes, LeBron’s all-time scoring record doesn’t outweigh Durant’s variety of scoring tools, a stance that’s sure to keep the conversation going well into the season.
