On every ranking and tier list Steph is put above KD. Why is that? Here are their stats since the start of last season
KD: 29.6/6.8/5.1 on 67.2% TS
Steph: 29.5/5.8/5.8 on 66.1% TS
KD has been playing just as well as Steph (arguably better) but he doesn’t ever rated higher. Why?
If we’re being real it’s because he won a ring in 2022 without a ton of help
For most fans, it’s because Curry won a ring and FMVP in 2022 while Durant hasn’t won anything since leaving the Warriors.
For other fans, it’s because Curry is a better offensive player because he has a positive effect on possessions even when he doesn’t touch the ball. impact metric shows Curry being better than Durant before, during, and after their stint together.
For example:
EPM has Curry above Durant every season from 2014-2023
RAPTOR has Curry above Durant every season from 2014-2023
LEBRON has Curry above Durant every season from 2015-2023 except for 2019
5-Year RAPM has Curry above Durant for every 5-year period from 2012-2016 through 2019-2023.
Curry is legit just a better player than KD is in my opinion. I know a few years ago a lot of people would have said the opposite but Durant had it so fucking easy when he was in Golden State.
Durant is an all time offensive player but he’s had several series in the playoffs before and after GSW where teams with the right personnel could load up on him and limit his productivity (MEM, GSW and BOS for example). In OKC especially this was a personnel problem as a lot of the time they were playing 3 non-shooters that teams like the Warriors or Grizzlies didn’t have to respect with Westbrook, Adams and Roberson. When he played Boston in 22 they warped their entire defense around keeping him away from his spots and they basically had 5 quality defenders in their starting lineup.
When he played next to Curry he got all of the 1 on 1 iso’s he wanted because of Curry’s shooting, and as he’s one of the best iso scorers ever he was incredibly efficient in their title runs. So he obviously looked a ton better and won the FMVPs.
But Curry was and has always been the engine that made that team go. That’s evidenced by the Warriors numbers with KD on and Curry off vs with Curry on and KD off.
There’s this old Thinking Basketball video that pretty much explains it.
That being said, I’m not a KD hater or anything. I think its incredible how fucking insanely good he is to still be putting up top tier offensive numbers in terms of volume and efficiency at 35 after injuries and age have turned him basically entirely into a jump shooter with little driving game.