Kevin Durant vs. Julius Erving Career Comparison: KD Leads Dr. J In Nearly Every Category

One of the most loaded positions in NBA history is small forward. You have greats like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, and so much more. There are also the 2 players we will be comparing today, Kevin Durant and Julius Erving. Each one of these guys used a very unique and specific play style to become 2 of the most exciting players and the best raw talents we have ever seen. Durant has become one of the greatest scorers in the game’s history while Erving revolutionized the game with his flashy, above-the-rim play style. When comparing these 2 legends of the game, there is so much to take into account.

Both players have led their NBA franchises to championships, and both were a big reason for those wins. They each have been the best player in the league at one point or another and they are each a consensus Top 5 player at their small forward position. Again, we must reiterate that the way this comparison is not the end all be all conclusion, but it is a great way to measure exactly what they accomplished. The cases for these two as all-time greats make themselves, but what about up against one another? You decide.

Here is the career comparison between Kevin Durant and Julius Erving.

*Rule: No ABA stats or accolades will be used for Julius Erving. This is strictly based on NBA careers.*

Championships

Kevin Durant – 2 (2017, 2018)

Julius Erving – 1 (1983)

Kevin Durant has appeared in 4 different NBA Finals in his career and has a 2-2 overall record. In 2021, He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals and lost in 5 games despite averaging 30.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.4 SPG, and 1.0 BPG in the series. The Next time Durant would appear in the Finals would be with the Golden State Warriors for three straight seasons from 2017 through 2019. Golden State would go back-to-back as NBA champions in 2017 and 2018, led by Durant and Stephen Curry. The Warriors would reach the Finals once more in 2019 but fall to the Raptors in 6 games after injuries to Durant and Klay Thompson all but ended the series. Durant’s performances in these title runs were incredible, but more on that in a little bit.

As for Julius Erving, he also appeared in 4 different NBA Finals with the Philadelphia 76ers but managed just a 1-3 overall record. In 22 Finals games in his career, Erving averaged 25.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 4.5 APG on 52.6% shooting. The sixers faced Portland in 1977 in the Finals but lost in 6 games. They had the same fate when they met the Lakers in 1980 and were swept by L.A. in 4 games in 1982. They finally got over the proverbial hump in 1983 when they bested the Lakers in 4 straight games and Erving claimed his only NBA championship before retiring in 1987.

Advantage: Kevin Durant

Finals MVP Awards

Kevin Durant – 2 (2017, 2018)

Julius Erving – 0

In both NBA Finals in which Kevin Durant was victorious, he was the consensus best player on the court. In the 2017 NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Cavaliers, Durant and the Warriors made quick work of them in 5 games. Durant was named Finals MVP when he averaged 35.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.6 BPG on 55.6% shooting. Durant and the Warriors made even quicker work of the Cavaliers in 2018 when they beat them in 4 consecutive games to win the championship. Durant was once again named Finals MVP when he averaged 28.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 7.5 APG, and 2.3 BPG.

Julius Erving never took home an NBA Finals MVP, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t great in the NBA Finals when he was there. When the Sixers fell to Portland in 1977, Erving has a spectacular series averaging 30.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.0 APG, and 2.7 SPG. When they lost in 1980, he averaged 25.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 2.3 BPG. When they finally won the championship in 1983, Erving was still a great ballplayer but the star of the show was his teammate Moses Malone who won Finals MVP by averaging 25.8 PPG and 18.0 RPG in the 4-game sweep. Although never rewarded individually for it, Julius Erving stepped up big time when the NBA Finals rolled around.

Advantage: Kevin Durant

MVP Awards

Kevin Durant – 1 (2014)

Julius Erving – 1 (1981)

Each one of these legendary small forwards has taken home a single MVP award in their careers. Kevin Durant’s MVP season goes back to when he was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013-14. That season, Durant won his 4th scoring title averaging 32.0 PPG while shooting 50.3% from the floor and 39.1% from three-point range. He also added 7.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.3 SPG. The Thunder would win 59 games in the regular season but fall to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

In the early 80s, it was abundantly clear that Julius Erving was one of, if not the best, players in basketball. In the 1980-81 season, Julius Erving led the Philadelphia 76ers to a 62-20 overall record. He averaged 24.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.1 SPG, and 1.8 BPG and was named the MVP for the first time in his NBA career. He controlled the game on both sides of the floor and shot 52.1% from the field for the season. The Sixers would go on to lose in 7 games to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Advantage: Even

All-NBA Teams

Kevin Durant – 10 (6 First Team, 4 Second Team)

Julius Erving – 7 (5 First Team, 2 Second Team)

Kevin and Durant both racked up numerous All-NBA Team selections in their career as the best in the league of their respective eras. Durant has been selected to six All- NBA First Teams in his career and 10 All-NBA Teams overall. He made 5 consecutive All-NBA First Teams from 2010 through 2014. During that time, he averaged 29.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. He won all 4 of his career scoring titles over that span, won an MVP award, and led his team to the NBA Finals.

Julius Erving was selected to 7 All-NBA Teams in his career, which include 5 First Team selections. There is no doubt that these selections would have been higher had Erving chosen to skip his time in the ABA. His 5 First Team selections came in 6 seasons from 1978 through 1983. Over this span, Erving averaged 23.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, and 1.6 BPG. He also won an MVP award in 1981, led his team to 4 NBA Finals, and claimed an NBA championship over that span.

Advantage: Kevin Durant

All-Star Appearances

Kevin Durant – 12

Julius Erving – 11

When the All-NBA Team selections add start to add up, so do the All-Star selections. This rings especially true when both are superstars and 2 of the most exciting players in NBA history. Kevin Durant has played 15 seasons in the NBA and has been selected an All-Star 12 times. This goes to show how quickly Durant developed and fell in the fan’s favor to be selected so often. The only seasons that Durant was not named an All-Star were his first 2 years with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, although he could have been selected given how good he was playing. The other season technically doesn’t count as he sat out the entirety of 2020 with an Achilles Injury. He took home All-Star MVP honors in both 2012 and 2019.

Julius Erving was selected as an All-Star for all 11 seasons. He was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He was also an All-Star every season of his ABA career, but that does not count here. It is no surprise that Erving was so revered by his fans and peers. He was an innovative superstar who played above the rim and scored in emphatic bursts. Erving also won 2 All-Star Game MVP awards in both 1977 and 1983, his rookie season and the only season he won an NBA championship.

Advantage: Kevin Durant

All-Defensive Team Selections

Kevin Durant – 0

Julius Erving – 0

Neither Kevin Durant nor Julius Erving was honored with All-Defensive Team selections in their respective careers. That doesn’t mean that either one was a bad defender by any stretch of the imagination. Both Erving and Durant used their athleticism perfectly on the defensive side of the ball in their careers. With their size, length, and leaping ability, both have been pretty steady as shot blockers as well as altering shots in their careers. They each use their long wingspans to disrupt passing lanes off the ball as well, making it difficult to have successful entry passes against either player.

Durant has recorded a sneaky amount of blocks during his playing days, averaging more than 1.0 BPG 9 different times in his career. He has also recorded over 1.0 SPG 9 times in his career and has a career defensive rating of 105.7. Erving enjoyed a fair bit of defensive success himself with a career 101.0 defensive rating, slightly better than Durant. Erving recorded 1.5 SPG or better in 10 out of his 11 NBA seasons and over 2.0 SPG three times. He also recorded 1.0 BPG or better every season of his NBA and ABA career. They may not be heralded as defensive wizards, but both Durant and Erving definitely do their part.

Advantage: Even

Total Win Shares

Kevin Durant: 155.2

Julius Erving: 106.2

Both Kevin Durant and Julius Erving made a clear and concise impact on winning during their playing days. Total win shares are a pretty good measurement of one’s impact on winning and as far as the NBA goes, Durant has a distinct advantage over Dr. J. Durant has totaled over 155.0 total win shares in his career and has 9 seasons with over 10.0 win shares. He led the league during his 2014 MVP season with 19.2 and finished 2nd the previous season in 2013 with 18.9.

I think it would be fun to note that if we counted his ABA years, Julius Erving would have over 180.0 win shares. However, based on solely his NBA career, he totaled 106.2 in 11 seasons. From 1980 through 1984, Erving had seasons on 10.0 or more win shares and led the league in WS/48 in both 1981 and 1982. For reference, during his ABA career, Erving had 3 seasons where he led the league with over 15.0 win shares.

Advantage: Kevin Durant

Player Efficiency Rating

Kevin Durant – 25.3

Julius Erving – 22.0

Player efficiency rating is a great but not a perfect measurement of what a player does right and what he does wrong on the court. It takes both positive and negative things about one’s game into account and both Erving and Durant have historically high PER. Durant comes in with a career PER of just over 25.0. Durant has had just one season where he finished with a PER under 20.0 and that was his rookie season. His career-high PER came in his 2014 MVP season when he led the league with a 29.8 PER.

Erving also had an extended run of a high PER. He finished with a PER of over 20.0 for the 9 seasons of his 11-year NBA career. He led the league once in 1980 when he recorded a 25.4 PER. His career-high PER season would come in 1982 when he averaged 24.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.7 BPG. If we included his ABA seasons, Erving would still have a lower career PER than Durant with a 23.6 PER.

Advantage: Kevin Durant

Final Score

Kevin Durant vs. Julius Erving 6-0

In every metric that we can measure this matchup here today, Kevin Durant took a slight advantage in each category. There is little doubt that Durant has surpassed Erving in any all-time rankings, but if anyone says it isn’t a close debate, they’re lying. Durant and Erving are probably the 3rd and 4th best players to ever play the small forward position when we break everything down. Accolades aren’t the only metric that Durant is superior in, but Erving has a case to be better, as well.

There is a reason that so many all-time greats looked up to Julius Erving. He was a larger-than-life figure who did things on the court that no one had ever seen before. He was a flashy scorer and an abundant scorer in a time when there weren’t many players at his position doing it. The conversation today doesn’t lead to a concrete solution to the debate between Kevin Durant and Julius Erving, but it does start to point us in the right direction.

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