LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant are two of the greatest players of all time. Although both players are nearing the end of their careers, both are still playing at a high level. And when it comes to the debate over which player had the better career peak, NBA media personality Bill Simmons leans 55-45 toward Leonard.
During a recent episode of 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' as a guest of former NBA player and current analyst Tim Legler, Simmons explained why he's leaning toward picking Kawhi Leonard over Kevin Durant as far as extremes go.
"If you're talking about pure talented forwards in this century, LeBron is in first place. It's probably him [Kawhi] For that second forward spot versus KD,” Simmons said. “In terms of pure talent, if I had an extreme version of either of these guys for a season, which one would you want, there's a pretty good argument. . .It could 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 nominations.
Both players have two championships each along with two Finals MVP awards. It's an interesting debate, but it's certain that both are future Hall of Famers.
Leonard is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals this season, 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.
