During a recent episode on ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith was seen unabashedly proclaiming Kevin Durant as the best in the world.
A recent poll conducted for the best NBA player resulted in Kevin Durant and Giannis Antentokounmpo being tied for the top position. The panel included a group of 10 individuals consisting of NBA scouts and executives.
One of the highlights of the result was LeBron James receiving zero votes. The 4x NBA champion has been the face of the league for almost a decade now. Thus receiving zero votes for him was questionable.
While discussing the poll results on ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith had no qualms about admitting Durant as the best player on the planet.
There is no NBA player including LeBron James at this point in time. That is a better than Kevin Durant in the world.
Kevin Durant is the BEST player in the WORLD. PERIOD! pic.twitter.com/VwryWnJXVO
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 20, 2021
Smith felt at this point of time in his career LeBron James was definitely not better than Durant.
There seems to be a lot of scrutiny going around the 36-year old LeBron James. Beginning from the Lakers signing Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony. Many believe the purple and gold team is a group of veterans past their prime.
James did have a disappointing 2020-21 season as he failed to defend his throne. Though, injury troubles were a major cause of concern for the Lakers. One cannot deny the lack of shooting on the roster. The Lakers were a mess without LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the court.
The superstar duo of James and Davis struggled with injuries, resulting in them missing several games. The supporting cast of the team seemed out of place without them. LeBron James had his earliest postseason exit this year in the first round of the playoffs.
Kevin Durant’s performance on the court didn’t seem as if the superstar was coming off a year and a half hiatus due to an Achilles injury.
The 4x scoring champion was his usual self, displaying remarkable efficiency on the court. KD averaged 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.3 BPG on a 53.7% shooting from the field and 45.0% from the 3-point line during the 2020-21 season.
Durant elevated his performances during the playoffs, despite Irving being out due to an injury in the semi-finals against the Bucks. Though KD had Harden by his side, the former Houston player seemed a fraction of himself as he had a premature return from his calf injury.
