• The late-2010s saw some of the best individual seasons we have seen
• 2018 LeBron James, 2016 Stephen Curry, and 2019 Kawhi Leonard are often brought up as the best examples
• Fans went ballistics over a debate picking them to ‘start, bench, or cut’
The NBA is a sport unlike any other, as one incredible player can somehow lift everyone up to accomplish incredible things. That allows us to look at players and easily distinguish their talent from the other players in the league, with some players putting on some incredible examples of individual dominance.
LeBron James in 2018, Stephen Curry in 2016, and Kawhi Leonard in 2019 are some of the best examples we have in the modern era. But who would you pick to start, bench, or cut if all three players were presented in front of you?
Which version of these players are you rocking with? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/KhaYFZdG3U
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 22, 2023
Fans on social media couldn’t agree on an answer for this incredibly challenging question, with everyone having a different setup. There are only merits to compare between these three players, so let’s see what fans even had to say.
Fans Struggled To Come To A Conclusion
Some fans were quick to defend Stephen Curry on this list, calling him the greatest offensive player in league history.
2016 Steph is the greatest offensive player of all time
— Destroying 🎭 (@DestroyingWrld) September 23, 2023
A fan’s simple ranking saw Bron take the top spot with Curry on the bench.
Bron
Steph
Kawhi
— Mob (@MobHoops) September 23, 2023
A Kawhi fan made a compelling case for why Kawhi should start, cutting Curry and benching LeBron.
1. 2019 Kawhi (insane playoff run, won records, won title, top 10 peak ever)
2. 2018 Bron (MVP level season, mastered the game of basketball, dominant, clutch, nearly took down 4 all stars by himself)
3. 2016 Steph (struggled in playoffs due to minor injury, didn't win title)
— KlawWrld (@kawhi_ring) September 23, 2023
A fan opened up a poll where LeBron was handily ahead of both Curry and Kawhi.
Which version is the best?
— Settle the Debate! (@Settle__Debate) September 22, 2023
Many fans were quick to come and defend 2018 LeBron James as in a league of his own.
2018 LeBron James is in a league of his own.
Don’t care about the other two. https://t.co/G6uTSxiMw0
— 5THRINGONTHEWAYYYY🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@5thringontheway) September 23, 2023
One fan called 2019 Kawhi Leonard overrated.
I'm sorry but 2019 Kawhi is heavily overrated.
He was historic but he don't belong in convos with 2018 Lebron and 2016 Curry https://t.co/SZMwu32iKo
— Omar 👑 (@omar_badaSS) September 23, 2023
One fan added a layer to his ranking by separating the players in terms of their regular season and playoff performances, with LeBron seemingly aggregating to a higher position than Kawhi or Steph.
Regular Season:
16 Steph
18 Bron
19 Kawhi
Playoffs:
18 Bron
19 Kawhi
16 Steph https://t.co/EFs4tjim04
— 🐺 (@_smarttakes_) September 23, 2023
It’s hard for LeBron to get heavily outvoted in any modern NBA comparison where he’s being put up against his peers. Fans did seem to lean towards 2018 LeBron winning this three-way debate, with Curry coming to the bench more often than Kawhi. Given Curry had arguably the greatest regular-season performances ever in 2016, it makes sense for him to edge out Kawhi for so many people.
A Statistical Comparison
LeBron James in the 2017-18 season, averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists and led the Cavaliers to a 50-32 record. Despite having a roster that was critically panned by experts, James single-handedly took them to the NBA Finals and got swept by the Curry and Kevin Durant-led Warriors.
He averaged 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 9.0 assists in one of the greatest individual postseason runs we have ever seen before running into the juggernaut Warriors in the Finals.
Stephen Curry became the first unanimous regular-season MVP in history in the 2015-16 season. He averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists as the Warriors had a record-breaking 73 wins that season.
Unfortunately, it didn’t lead to a title, as Curry’s Warriors were beaten by LeBron and Kyrie Irving’s Cavaliers in the Finals. Steph was unimpressive, averaging 25.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists over the playoffs.
Kawhi Leonard joined the Raptors via trade at the start of the 2018-19 season, with everyone knowing he was going to try and move to LA at the end of the season. Kawhi averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in the regular season while load managing, leading the Raptors to 58 wins and the No. 2 seed.
He became a monster in the playoffs, averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. He hit one of the most famous shots in league history to eliminate the 76ers and went on to bring Toronto its first and only NBA title.
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