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NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant is a straight shooter who calls it as it is. This is probably why the 29-year-old did not shy away from taking a veiled shot at LeBron James when asked about his thoughts on the prerequisites of being a great basketball player.
Kevin Durant to @YahooSportsNBA: "I feel like it’s easy to be the best player when you don’t have good players around you. I feel like it’s harder to stand out when you have great players around you. I pride myself on standing out wherever I am." https://t.co/Z2oXqWMkEO
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) June 10, 2018
In his statement, Durant was obviously referring to LeBron's status as the unchallenged alpha dog in Cleveland, and comparing it to his own situation with the Golden State Warriors. Unlike James who only has Kevin Love as the only other All-Star-caliber player on his side, Durant has three of them on his team.
Durant further proved his point after being awarded the FMVP for a second consecutive season despite being challenged by two-time regular season MVP Stephen Curry. The 6-foot-9 forward is now 2-for-2 since teaming up with the Warriors in 2016.
Durant further belabored his point by claiming that standing out amongst great teammates has always been the norm for him. Before switching sides, Durant memorably won the regular season MVP award himself as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing alongside Russell Westbrook.
Although Durant appears to have a valid point here, one can also argue that LeBron would still be the best player in his squad no matter what team he plays for. Despite being 33 years of age, LeBron James remains to be one of, if not the best player in the game today. Surely he would stand out regardless if he surrounds himself with an All-Star cast or a group of second-tier role players.
