Austin Rivers Boldly Claims LeBron James Doesn’t Have “Half the Offensive Bag” That Kevin Durant Has

Former NBA veteran Austin Rivers clarified his true feelings regarding NBA greats like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan lately.

Austin Rivers Boldly Claims LeBron James Doesn’t Have “Half the Offensive Bag” That Kevin Durant Has

LeBron James and Kevin Durant (Image by FirstSportz)

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Often, the likes of Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and the late Kobe Bryant keep hovering around the all-time greatest basketball player debates. But when it comes to the aspect of just pure scoring in basketball, NBA veteran Kevin Durant is on a whole new level. Many have agreed to this, and 11-year NBA veteran Austin Rivers recently discussed this matter, comparing Durant to James.

Without hesitation, Rivers gave a straightforward assessment of Durant vs. James’ differences in shooting ability. Rivers stated Durant easily outperforms James when it comes to basketball shooting alone, although James’ playmaking and defense elevate him to a new level.

In addition, Rivers also claimed that the Lakers’ star man fails does not pass the ‘eye test’ regarding the way he plays and shoots on the court. Compared to Durant, his game is less about artistry and more about physical power.

For instance, LeBron has scored more points than Kevin, but Kevin can score in a much bigger variety of ways than LeBron. You can argue with the wall, but that’s just the truth. LeBron doesn’t have half the offensive bag that Kevin has…I would say Kevin [Durant], Carmelo [Anthony], James Harden, Kobe [Bryant], Michael [Jordan], and [Allen] Iverson are the best scorers I’ve ever seen.

Austin Rivers said

The scoring records of Durant and James are nearly the same. In the regular season, they score about 27 points each game on average, and in the playoffs, they score about 30 points. Both players shot almost 50% from the field during the regular season and 48% during the postseason, demonstrating their exceptional efficiency.

Durant’s superiority as a three-point shooter is the only significant change in the statistics. In the regular season, he makes 4% more shots, and in the playoffs, he makes 2% more.

A former Warriors player once made a fascinating Kevin Durant admission involving Stephen Curry

Kevin Durant’s tenure at the Golden State Warriors was one to remember. He achieved his best moments of his career there alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, winning multiple NBA titles as well as NBA MVP awards. Durant created a legacy alongside Curry.

Kevin Durant 2
Kevin Durant (Credits: MARCA)

Given that, former Warriors player and NBA champion Quinn Cook revealed an interesting story about Durant regarding the NBA Finals MVP award. Cook claimed that Durant wanted Curry to win the MVP award during the 2018 Finals.

When we were in Houston and Toyota Center was going crazy, and they just made a 9-0 run, and we needed a bucket, we’re going to Kevin every single time. And to be honest, Kevin wanted Steph to get that Finals MVP the next year so bad. That’s all he was talking about all season, like ‘I can’t wait until Steph gets his Finals MVP’ so he can shut up everybody, the naysayers.‘

Quinn Cook said on The Players Choice Podcast

Nevertheless, Durant stepped up when the team needed him most, winning both his second championship and his second MVP honor in the Finals. Cook claimed that was the only evidence of his brilliance because he wasn’t even attempting to dominate or be the main scorer.

LeBron James reveals ‘one aspect’ he is yet to master alongside Kevin Durant on Mind the Game podcast

Without a doubt, LeBron James is one of the best players in the NBA over the last two decades. He has dominated in every aspect of the sport consistently with immense hard work and commitment. Despite all of this, James still feels that there is one thing he has to master in his career, his mid-range jumper. In a recent conversation with NBA veteran Kevin Durant on Mind the Game podcast.

To be honest, it’s something I haven’t been able to master in my career. I work on it, improved, yeah, but when you talk about going left and then going right and being efficient — going left with my middy, I feel really effective with that.

LeBron James said on Mind the Game podcast
LeBron James
LeBron James (Credits: MARCA)

Given that, James has been improving in his mid-rage shooting with each season. Last season, James made 218 mid-range shots at 43.6%. That was an improvement of 10.9% over the prior year. In his 22-year NBA career, he only shot better from the mid-range once, in the 2010–11 season, when he shot 44.6%.

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