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Kevin Durant turns 33 today. The 11-time All-Star, two-time NBA champ, two-time Finals MVP and four-time scoring champ has solidified his status as one of the all-time great players in the league. Over his 13-year NBA career, Durant averages 27.02 ppg, the fifth-best scoring average by any player in NBA history. That scoring average also puts him ahead of all active players, including LeBron James (27.00) and James Harden (25.14).
More importantly, Kevin Durant elevates his game in the playoffs. His 29.50 ppg in the NBA’s postseason ranks only behind Michael Jordan (33.45) and Allen Iverson (29.73). But while both these players were the dominant scorers on their teams for most of their careers, Durant has had to sacrifice his numbers during his years with the Golden State Warriors and now with the Brooklyn Nets. Durant has had to share the ball with great scorers like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harden and Kyrie Irving on both these teams.
No doubt, had Durant been on a lesser team, his scoring average may have been a lot closer to Jordan. We saw evidence of this in the 2021 postseason, where he singlehandedly carried the Brooklyn Nets to a seven-game contest against Milwaukee even as teammates Harden and Irving remained unavailable for the full duration of the series. Durant averaged a phenomenal 35.4 ppg in that matchup.
Durant’s ability to score against any opponent or against the best of defenses has never been in doubt. One could even argue that he is a better scorer than the great Michael Jordan. Why do we say that? The following three reasons will help better substantiate this statement.
#1 Kevin Durant’s length, wingspan and high release point gives him a massive advantage over Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan was listed at 6'6" and had a wingspan of about 6'10", 6'11". Kevin Durant, at 6'10", is a full four inches taller than MJ. Durant has a reported wingspan of 7'5". That is six inches more than Jordan’s wingspan, which means that Durant hardly has any defenders capable of defending him. Durant simply shoots over guys who are smaller than him and if opponents send bigger players (power forwards) to guard him, he just blows by them on account of his superior athleticism.
Another important factor is that Kevin Durant has an extremely high release point. Durant releases his jump shot from a height of approximately 11 feet in the air. Most NBA players cannot jump that high when they suddenly have to contest a jump shot without getting adequate space or momentum.
Also read: All about Michael Jordan’s wife, Yvette Prieto?
#2 Kevin Durant has shot above 50.0% from the field in eight NBA seasons (and counting) compared to only six for Michael Jordan
Kevin Durant averages 49.4% shooting from the basketball floor over his 13-year NBA career. Michael Jordan edges Durant in the overall analysis, shooting 49.7% over the course of his entire career (including his time with the Washington Wizards). However, a closer look at shooting efficiency reveals another angle to the comparison.
While Durant never touched 50.0% shooting from the field in his first five NBA seasons, he has shot more than 50.0% in each of his last eight NBA seasons. In 2020-21, Durant shot 53.7% from the field, matching his season best from 2016-17 (while he was just 28). Michael Jordan, on the other hand, shot better than 50% from the field in just six NBA seasons. In fact, the last time Jordan shot better than 50.0% on the basketball floor was in 1991-1992 while he was still 29 years old.
Durant’s shooting, comparatively, has gotten better with age. Durant shot 50.5% from the field at age 27, 51.6% at 29, 52.1% at 30 and 53.7% at age 32. This is absolutely phenomenal for any NBA player, let alone Kevin Durant. As the years go by, and the body loses its agility, speed and athleticism, the best of players experience a drop off in their shooting. But Durant’s game seems to be aging like fine wine. If he continues to improve like he is currently doing, Durant may well edge Jordan’s field goal efficiency by the time he retires.
#3 Kevin Durant is hands down the better three-point and free-throw shooter than Michael Jordan
This is a no-contest area. Kevin Durant is a career 38.4% three-point shooter and 88.3% free throw shooter. Michael Jordan, in contrast, shot just 32.7% from downtown and a healthy 83.5% from the charity stripe. Jordan, of course, wasn’t brought up on the three-point line. The arc only came into the US college game in 1986, a few years after Jordan came into the NBA. But that isn’t Durant’s fault. He is extremely good at this modern aspect of the game, having made 1655 career triples to Jordan’s 581 long range splashes.
KD has also been a member of the 50-40-90 club (in 2012-13) whereas Jordan never achieved this distinction. Just last season, Kevin Durant shot 53.7% from the field, a staggering 45.0% from behind the arc and 88.2% from the free throw line, narrowly missing the 50-40-90 club for a second time in his career. KD has also never shot lower than 85.4% from the foul line while Jordan has done better than this in only one NBA season (1986-87).
The conclusion is simple. Playing Kevin Durant one-on-one is impossible. He will torch the best of defenders with his high release and wingspan. Foul him and he is a very efficient free throw shooter. Prevent him from going to the basket and he will burn you from outside. There has simply never been a scorer like Kevin Durant in NBA history. No, not even Michael Jordan.
