LeBron James has been around the game of basketball for a very long time now, and he doesn’t believe the NBA has ever seen anything like Kevin Durant. On an episode of the Mind the Game podcast, James explained what makes Durant the most complete scorer in league history.
“He hasn’t shot under 50% since like 2012,” James said, via Dank on X. “And in a league that doesn’t talk about efficiency enough, because I’m one of those efficiency guys. Like, I hate going out there, just chucking up shots or looking at the box score and I was maybe 8-for-23, or 9-for-25, or 6-for-18.
“You’re gonna have those nights for sure, but for the majority of the season, being efficient is something I’ve always prided myself on,” James continued. “And this guy, when it comes to three-level scorer, 3-pointers, mid-range, below the Gary Payton area, below the [Karl] Malone area and finishing, we haven’t had a scorer as equipped as KD in our league, ever.”
James, of course, is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has been remarkably efficient himself. The 41-year-old has shot under 50% from the field in a season just twice since 2012-13, which is incredible.
As James, who recently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, pointed out, though, Durant hasn’t shot under 50% from the field even once since 2012-13. That shouldn’t be possible when you’ve averaged 27.6 points per game since then.
Durant hit his efficiency peak during the 2022-23 season. He averaged 29.1 points per game for the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns, and shot 56.0% from the field, 40.4% from beyond the arc, and 91.9% from the free-throw line. His true shooting percentage stood at 67.7%, which is outrageous for someone who does a lot of damage from the perimeter.
For his career, Durant now averages 27.1 points (6th all-time) on 50.3% shooting from the field, 39.2% from three, and 88.2% from the charity stripe. The Houston Rockets superstar is remarkably close to 50-40-90.
This combination of volume and efficiency is why some believe Durant is the greatest scorer of all time. The 37-year-old has four scoring titles to his name, with only Michael Jordan (10) and Wilt Chamberlain (7) having more.
Durant is also fifth on the all-time scoring list with 32,597 points. The 16-time All-Star has a shot at passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s tally of 38,387 points to get up to second, but he isn’t passing James, who has 43,440 points. No one is passing him in our lifetime.
Kevin Durant Doesn’t Care About Being The Best Scorer Ever
While the likes of Miami Heat superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo believe Durant might be the best scorer ever, the man himself doesn’t care about that title. He believes people are diminishing his greatness by doing so.
“30k points on low field goal attempts. I’m a coach’s dream. Dime dropper, I mastered scoring at 24 years old, man,” replied Durant. “Give it a rest, I don’t care about being the best scorer ever. You are diminishing my all-time greatness by calling me that.”
Durant wants to be known as more than just a great scorer. There is more to his game, and he is undoubtedly an all-time great.
Durant is probably never going to get the respect he feels he deserves, though. The fact that he hasn’t won a championship since leaving the Golden State Warriors continues to be held against him. Leading the Rockets to glory would change the narrative, but you don’t fancy their chances of winning the title.
