Even at 38 years old, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, at 35, remain two of the NBA’s top ten players.

James and Durant faced off against one another last night for the first time since Christmas 2018. It was a crucial game for the Purple and Gold as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 100-95. With 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 2 points, LeBron James scored 21 points, and Kevin Durant scored 39 points with 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Even though neither player is at their peak right now, they still demonstrate their superiority on the court. Though LeBron James has undoubtedly had a greater career than Kevin Durant, what would happen if we were to compare the two outstanding forwards in 2023–2024?

Right now in the 1-on-1 game, who is the superior player in terms of scoring, defending, leading, and general skill?

Let’s compare LeBron James and Kevin Durant in 11 different areas to find who is the best player at this moment.

Kevin Durant scored.
Even though Kevin Durant is among the greatest scorers in NBA history, it would be difficult not to side with him if we were comparing careers rather than forecasts for the 2023–24 campaign. Durant is unquestionably the better scorer going into 2023–2024 in a variety of categories.

Let’s begin with the obvious: in 47 games for the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns last season, Durant averaged 29.9 points per game on 55/40/90 shooting splits. James just finished a season in which he split 50/32/77 points at an average of 28.9 points per game. Durant was not only more prolific, but he also obtained his points much more effectively.

James has never been the same court marksman as Durant, and that will remain the case in 2023–2024. When it comes to driving to the hoop and finishing with force, power, and a hint of elegance, James does have the upper hand. At this point in their careers, Durant is the more effective, adaptable, and significant scorer; thus, he wins the scoring category right away.

Kevin Durant firing
Durant wins handily in the shooting category as well, in line with our discussion in the scoring area. One of the best mid-range shooters in NBA history, Kevin Durant has only grown more deadly with this shot as he ages. Durant has made 53.8% of his shots from 3–10 feet, 55.1% from 10–16 feet, and 54.5% from 16 feet to just inside the three-point line in the last three seasons. Furthermore, he has made 40.8% of his three-pointers and 90.6% of his foul-line shots.

Even though James is one of the most effective scorers in NBA history when it comes to finishing at the rim, his shooting statistics pale in comparison to Durant’s, particularly during the last three seasons. He is shooting 46.6% from the field when he is three to ten feet away from the rim. That percentage rises slightly to 39.6% from 16 to 22 feet and falls to 36.7% from 10 to 16 feet. During that time, he has also only shot 34.0% from three points and 72.9% from free throws.

When it comes to shooting, Kevin Durant is the obvious choice each and every time.

Sportsmanship: LeBron James
All you need to know about LeBron James’ greatness is evident from the fact that he is winning the athleticism category at this point in his career. James has been in the upper echelons of the NBA’s athletic hierarchy for the past 21 years, largely due to his lavish physical maintenance budget and absence of significant injuries during his career. After he leaves the field, Lebron James’ athleticism will be examined closely, regardless of whether it is his strength sprinting down the lane or his capacity to get up and finish decisively over opponents.

The only thing Kevin Durant may have going for him in this category is his youth. Throughout his career, Durant has sustained numerous injuries that have compromised his athleticism, most notably an Achilles rupture in 2019. While James still needs his strength and physical ability to be productive, Durant now mainly relies on his imagination and technique when he plays basketball.

LeBron James can easily be regarded as being more athletic than Durant right now, at least from my perspective.

Kevin Durant on defense
In 2023–2024, the defensive category is one that should be virtually a wash. In this category, Kevin Durant is marginally superior to James and has, for the most part, been a very underappreciated defender. The topic of discussion right now, in 2023–2024, is effort, and Durant has demonstrated it far more than LeBron.

LeBron James has been accused of taking defensive possessions off or of simply not getting back on defense so many times in the last two seasons that I cannot even begin to count. LeBron has been terrible on defense for a while now, and I’m not suggesting it’s a bad thing or that his age has nothing to do with it.

Durant’s defensive presence off the ball and as a help defender in the paint are where he has excelled the most. Even though Durant has never been selected for an All-Defensive Team in his career, he managed to rack up 1.4 blocks per game last season. James and Durant both had defensive ratings of 113.0 in 2022–23, so the decision ultimately comes down to who we believe will put in more effort on that side of the ball this season. Kevin Durant has to be the pick for that reason.

Takes Charge: Kevin Durant
Though neither of these players ranks among the greatest ball handlers in NBA history, they are both recognized for having equally exceptional and distinctive sets of handles throughout their careers. In this discussion, it is important to give careful consideration to how each player uses their ball-handling abilities because handles are a strategic component of an offensive player’s toolkit.

This is the reason Kevin Durant needs to be the winner of this category. One of the most dangerous scorers in NBA history, Durant stands 7 feet, 0 inches tall and has guard-like handles. When Durant tries to get to his spots, even the best NBA defenders find it difficult to keep up with his dribble and deception. His handling is better than James’s because of his nightmare physique and tiny stature, which make him a defensive nightmare.

James uses his dribble less frequently and in a less spectacular manner than other players. James’ main objective is to get inside the interior as a passer or a scorer; he has never needed to make showy maneuvers to do this. While James is renowned for having some rock handling skills, he falls short of Durant in this regard.

LeBron James and Kevin Durant have both demonstrated throughout their NBA careers that they can be counted on in the biggest games and on the greatest stages of the league. These two have excelled in the clutch department, living up to their legacy as scorers, facilitators, or even just decoys.

LeBron James is one player who can be counted on in crunch times almost more than any other player in history. Yes, even in 2023–2024, I feel more at ease when LeBron James has the ball in the last seconds of a game than Kevin Durant. Durant might be the person to choose if we were only talking about clutch shooting, but this holds true for all clutch play.

Although LeBron James is capable of making clutch shots as well, there are a lot more than that. When the chips are down, James will always make the perfect basketball play, whether it’s a drive and kick for the game-winning basket or a pass to an open teammate. I have a little bit more faith in James’ ability to make that play than in Durant’s desire to score consistently when the game is close.

LeBron James, a leader

Due to the many aspects and factors involved, the leadership category is usually difficult to analyze and choose a winner in. In terms of leadership, LeBron James wins out over Kevin Durant because of his performance history up until and including their most recent on-court moments. James has consistently motivated his Lakers teammates, leading them to a spot in the Western Conference Finals. Whether guiding them through specific scenarios on the court or communicating with them from the bench, the Lakers are still unquestionably his team.

Throughout his career, Kevin Durant has had to take charge and lead on several occasions. Season 2023–2024 need not and will not be one of those times. Everybody from an outside standpoint can see that the Suns are Devin Booker’s team. Everything starts and ends with him demonstrating his maturity by setting an example by stepping aside and allowing events to unfold. I see LeBron James’ leadership having a far bigger effect on the Lakers this season than Durant’s in Phoenix.

IQ in basketball: LeBron James
Let’s start this category off by saying that both LeBron James and Kevin Durant are extremely intelligent basketball players who have flexed their knowledge of the game on more than one occasion. Having said that, I don’t think we have ever seen a player comprehend, manage, and steer the flow of a game as well as LeBron James has.

LeBron James’ basketball IQ is unmatched. He can lead his teammates during play, rally his team and call plays during timeouts, make mid-game adjustments, and do it all to demonstrate that he is the only player on the court who truly understands the flow and direction of the game.

Impact: LeBron James
With just a few categories left, LeBron James jumps into a late lead in this comparison with a win in the impact category. As impactful as Kevin Durant is, James is much more impactful to the Lakers in the sense that they need him in order to keep their heads above water. With Durant, the Suns are loaded as an offensive unit, with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal shouldering the workload if Durant is on the bench.

Even in the Lakers’ first game of 2023–24, James showed what he meant to the Lakers. With James in the game, Los Angeles was a +7 as a team and sparked numerous comebacks to keep themselves in the game. With James on the bench, they were a -14 amid the struggles of Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, digging themselves into a deeper hole.

This isn’t to say Durant doesn’t impact the game in a massive way. Last season with the Nets and Suns, Durant was a +258 compared to James’ +214 with the Lakers. Durant’s scoring and efficient play make him one of the biggest superstars in the game and a reason the Suns can win a championship this season. I know that I trust Phoenix without Durant way more than I could trust the Lakers to compete without James.

Efficiency: Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant and LeBron James are two of the most efficient small forwards in the history of the NBA, and that continues to be the case in 2023–24. Last season, Kevin Durant ranked ninth in the NBA with a player efficiency rating of 25.9. James sat just three spots below him in 12th in the NBA at 23.9. Durant’s efficiency goes well beyond PER, though.

In 2022–23, Durant had one of the most efficient scoring seasons in NBA history. He averaged 29.9 points per game in 47 games played while shooting 56.0% from the field, 40.4% from three, and 91.9% from the foul line. Durant also committed 1.1 fewer turnovers per game, giving away fewer possessions and ultimately putting his team in a better position to win.

As efficient as James has been his entire career, the overall comparison doesn’t come close. Kevin Durant has surpassed him on every scale of efficiency there is to measure.

1-On-1 Game: Kevin Durant
A game of 1-on-1 basketball would be extremely interesting between these two. Are you listening, Adam Silver? On one hand, you have one of, if not the greatest, offensively skilled scorers in the history of the NBA with Kevin Durant. Even in their primes, Durant got the best of LeBron in isolation situations, and at their ages now, the gap has likely widened.

Opposing Durant, there is LeBron James, who, even at his age, can still throw around his size and strength to bully most opponents. In any style of play where he needs to go downhill, James will dominate. In a game of 1-on-1 among these two intelligent and skilled players, The superior player will always be the one with the deeper offensive arsenal. For that reason, very slightly, Kevin Durant gets the decisive point in this comparison.

Final Result
LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant 5-6
Just as we have been predicting in the preseason with our top 100 player rankings and just as we have said in the comparison using our most accurate formula heading into 2023–24, Kevin Durant has surpassed LeBron James by the slimmest of margins. This is not a slight to LeBron James in any way. As a matter of fact, for him to even make this a serious conversation while pushing 39 years old is an equal or greater accomplishment than coming out victorious, and I truly mean that.

At this point in their careers, however, 35-year-old Kevin Durant can be relied upon just a bit more than 39-year-old LeBron James. As a scorer, shooter, defender, and interior presence on defense, Durant makes the Suns a potential super squad in the Western Conference. James’ sharpest weapons right now are his basketball mind and his playmaking abilities, which are not only superior to Durant but to everyone else in the NBA as well.

This comparison is so close that if one or two categories go a different way, LeBron James is the winner, and this entire conversation is flipped. At this stage of the game, though, I am confident in our decision to crown Kevin Durant the victor.