Meiji compares LeBron James in 5 dimensions: KD has strong shooting/defense/sustainability, Lao LeBron James wins in organization/critical moments

In the previous annual general manager's pre-season prediction results, Doncic won 40% of the votes and led the list of best small forwards. Durant ranked third but higher than James. This leads to a question: Has Durant's current strength value officially surpassed LeBron?

BR reporter Andy Bailey compared Durant and James from five dimensions: shooting, organization, defense, battery life and key balls. The details are as follows:

Shooting: Durant wins

Last season, Durant handed over 57.4% of two-pointers, 43.0% of three-pointers and 83.9% of free throws. James has lagged behind Durant significantly in field goal percentage, three-point shooting percentage, free throw percentage and effective field goal percentage in the past five years.

Organization: James wins

Just like shooting is for Durant, organizational ability is LeBron's absolute domain. He is one of the most outstanding offensive creators, passing masters and turn controllers in the history of basketball. Durant's career average of 4.4 assists per game is qualified, but James (career average of 7.4 assists per game) is often compared with Magic Johnson and Jokic. This season, he is even expected to surpass Kidd in total assists and rise to third place in history.

Defense: Durant wins

This is the most difficult link to judge. The aging has caused the two to decline in dominance on the defensive end, but the basic data still shows positive contributions. Durant has averaged one block per game in the past three seasons, while James can still average 6+ defensive rebounds per game. The difference lies in subjective judgment: LeBron has often shown "resistance" defensively in recent years, while Durant is more focused. The latter's height (211cm) and wingspan (226cm) make him more intimidating when protecting the basket, and his overall defensive influence may be better.

Battery life: Durant wins

This item is closely related to defensive performance. Last season, Durant's average moving distance per game, defensive movement speed and other data were better than James's, and his fighting data was even more comprehensive. The age gap is a key factor: LeBron will be 41 years old, and his risk of physical decline is much higher than that of 37-year-old Durant.

Critical moments: James wins

Comparing the data at critical moments last season (within 5 points in the last 5 minutes), we can see the clues:

Durant: 44.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.7 blocks, 1.8 turnovers and 0.0 steals per 100 possessions, with three shooting percentages of 47.7%/33.3%/93.8%.

James: 39.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 2.3 blocks, 3.2 turnovers and 1.4 steals per 100 possessions, with three shooting percentages of 51.8%/39.3%/81.8%.