#2 LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
2020-21 Stats: 25.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.8 APG, 1.1 STL, 51.3 FG%, 36.5 3P%
It is quite remarkable that at 26-years-old, LeBron James is still one of the best players in the entire league, but last season was not great for King James. LeBron only played in 45 games during the 2020-21 regular season, his fewest games ever, and was bothered almost all year long from a high ankle sprain.
Maybe “father time” is finally catching up with James, but nonetheless, the Lakers have a ton of talent for the 17x All-Star to play around with this upcoming year. LeBron is joined by the likes of All-Stars Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, as well as former All-Stars and potential Hall-of-Fame talents in Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan, and many others.
As he has aged, LeBron James has become a better all-around player and in three seasons with the Lakers, he has averaged 25.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and has shot 50.4% from the floor. With a full offseason to rest and get to 100% health, LeBron James is going to enter the 2021-22 season with a lot to prove, which is why the Lakers could very well end up with the best record in the league.
If he can remain healthy, James could wind up winning his 5th MVP award, tying Michael Jordan and Bill Russell for 2nd All-Time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 times) and LeBron could wind up winning his 5th NBA championship. We may be seeing the final few years of LeBron James’ career, but if we know anything about his character, we should expect nothing less than greatness from one of the best players of all time.
#1 Kevin Durant – Brooklyn Nets
2020-21 Stats: 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.3 BLK, 53.7 FG%, 45.0 3P%
It is hard enough to come back and be the same player after an Achilles tear in the NBA, but Kevin Durant did not just come back, he actually looks better. From the moment he was drafted 2nd overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007, Kevin Durant has been one of the best pure scorers in the NBA and last season, he put up better numbers post-Achilles injury than he did before he injured his Achilles!
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Soon-to-be 33-years-old, Kevin Durant is still in the prime of his career and cemented himself as the best small forward in the league after having a dazzling 2020-21 season, the first time he had played since the 2019 NBA Finals when he tore his right Achilles tendon.
Alongside Kyrie Irving and James Harden, Durant was “the guy” for the Nets last season and really was their only healthy option in the playoffs. Harden was dealing with a hamstring injury that limited his abilities and Irving missed almost the entire Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Bucks with a sprained ankle.
In the playoffs, we saw Kevin Durant in his purest form since returning from his Achilles injury, as he averaged 34.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the playoffs while shooting 51.4% from the floor. We even saw some of his best playoff performances ever in this Bucks-Nets series, as Durant averaged 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and shot 51% from the floor.
Durant even put together two unreal performances in which he scored 49 points in a Game 5 victory over the Bucks and then 48 points in an overtime Game 7 loss to the Bucks, in which KD made a game-tying, fadeaway basket to force overtime, a shot that would have won the Nets the series if Kevin Durant’s toe was not on the three-point line.
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When healthy, there really is no better offensive threat in the NBA, as Kevin Durant could realistically score on any given possession against any given defender on any given night. After coming up short of their goal to win a championship last year, the Brooklyn Nets enter the 2021-22 season as the best team in the league.
Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are three of the best players in the NBA right now and there may not be a better player with the game on the line than Kevin Durant. Time and time again, he hits remarkable shots that nobody else in the league can make, which is why Durant is the best small-forward and quite possibly the best player in the entire league.
