LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant are two of the greatest players of all-time. Although both players are closer to the twilight of their careers, both are still playing at an elite level. And when it comes to the debate as to which player had the better career peak, NBA media personality Bill Simmons leans 55-45 towards Leonard.
During a recent episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast,’ with former NBA player and current analyst Tim Legler as a guest, Simmons explained why he’d lean towards taking Kawhi Leonard over Kevin Durant as far as peak goes.
“If you’re talking about pure talent forwards in this century, LeBron is first. It’s probably him [Kawhi] vs. KD for that second forward spot,” Simmons said. “Pure talent-wise, if I could have the peak version of either of these guys for one season, who would you want, it’s a pretty good argument. . .it might be 55-45 towards Kawhi, that I would lean.”
Durant is in his 18th season in the NBA while Leonard is in his 14th season. When it comes to accolades, Leonard has made six All-NBA teams while Durant has made 11 All-NBA teams. Durant has one MVP Award while Leonard has two Defensive Player of the Year Awards. Leonard has seven All-Star appearances and Durant has 16 All-Star nods.
Both players have two championships each with two Finals MVP Awards. It’s an interesting debate, but what is for certain is both are future Hall of Famers.
This season Leonard is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 50.1 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from the 3-point line and 89.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Durant is averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from the 3-point line and 88.6 percent from the free-throw line.
