When asked who is the best player of the NBA has been over the last decade, the majority of NBA fans might say Lebron James.
But if you think about the last half decade, some might throw Kevin Durant in there – including Skip Bayless.
“If you look at what happens to the odds next year, the odds makers are saying Kevin Durant is still the best player in the world,” Bayless said. “Because if he stays in Brooklyn with Kyrie [Irving] and Ben Simmons, beware, Brooklyn will once again be the favorite to win it all.
“And if Kevin grants his wish and goes to Phoenix, just watch, the Phoenix Suns will immediately jump to the top as favorites to win it all.”
Skip Bayless says LeBron hasn’t been ‘the best player in the world’ in 5 years | The Skip Bayless Show
Skip Bayless explains why Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is no longer the best basketball player alive thanks to Kevin Durant.
Over the past five seasons, Durant has averaged 26.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, with 52.5% shooting from the floor and 39.6% from 3.
In those five seasons, Durant won two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors and was Finals MVP in each.
“Kevin Durant went to LeBron’s house in the 2017 and 2018 finals and destroyed LeBron,” Bayless said. “In the king’s castle, in Cleveland, Ohio. Destroyed him and became the MVP of back-to-back finals and became the best player in the world.”
In those finals, Kevin Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in five games of the 2017 NBA Finals. James averaged 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists in the same series, but Cleveland lost 4-1 to Golden State.
In the second season and second straight NBA Finals match between Durant and James, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists over four games. James averaged 34.0 points, 10.0 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per game in the same series.
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