What Steph Curry and Kevin Durant were able to accomplish in Golden State is nothing short of astonishing. They dominated at an insane level and broke countless records en-route to winning 2 straight NBA Championships.
Even apart, their careers have been pretty extraordinary.
But do they belong among the NBA top 15 greatest players? While that subject is more than debatable, ESPN proudly displayed their names 13th and 14th on their All-Time players’ list.
Here was their case for Durant, who was ranked before Dr. J, Jerry West, and Moses Malone (among others).
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.
Durant is certainly one of the best players basketball has ever seen. He’s an unstoppable scorer and accomplished player who still has plenty of time to build up his resume. For his career, he’s averaging 27.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.1 BPG.
Steph was one sport over him, and it’s understandable why. Curry has 2 MVPs compared to Durant’s one and ha three titles over Durant’s two. But, more than anything, what place shim over Durant (and why he’s so high on the list) is his impact on the game of basketball itself. As the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA, Steph essentially forced other teams to catch up and adapt to an updated and long-distance play style.
The greatest shooter of all time. Curry’s ability to hit shots from all over the floor changed the way the game is played. He has led the Warriors to three NBA championships and earned two MVP awards, becoming the first unanimous MVP in league history in 2015-16. Curry’s influence on the game is seen on every level of basketball as younger generations shoot more than ever while trying to replicate his game.
With career averages of 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, and 3.6 3s PG, Curry is unlike any player we’ve seen before. He truly revolutionized the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjnFuj5aYvs
It’s fair to say they’ve earned their rankings, but what do you think? Are they too high, too low, or just right?
