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Numerous GMs And Coaches Would Still Take LeBron James Over Kevin Durant In A Winner-Take-All Game, Per Zach Lowe

There’s always a debate about whether LeBron James is still the best player in the NBA. That debate has re-ignited after the four-time NBA champion played below his standards and was eliminated in the first-round of the 2021 NBA playoffs against the Phoenix Suns.

One player who puts the pressure on LeBron’s best player label is Kevin Durant. Despite failing to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Brooklyn Nets superstar still impressed and exercised his dominance throughout the playoffs, averaging 34.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game on 51.4% shooting.

Durant’s contention over LeBron is not to be dismissed, considering his recent playoff performance and the fact that LeBron is starting to show his age and had been bothered by injuries in two of his last three seasons. 

That being said, when it comes to a winner-take-all game, a lot of general managers and coaches in the NBA today would still take LeBron over anybody in the league including Durant, according to ESPN senior writer Zach Lowe.

“He’s still LeBron,” Lowe wrote. “He takes care of his body. A lot of GMs and coaches — maybe most, maybe half or a smidgen lower considering [Kevin] Durant’s last calendar year — would draft him No. 1 for a winner-take-all game. But it might be time to apply the ‘if healthy’ qualifier here, too.”