In this blog, we will compare and contrast the two basketball greats: Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan. We will discuss their playing styles, their accomplishments, and what makes them each unique. Whether you are a fan of Durant or Jordan, we hope that this blog will give you a greater appreciation for both players.
Kevin Durant Vs Michael Jordan
NBA Championships and Seasons
|
Kevin Durant |
Michael Jordan |
| NBA Championships |
2 |
6 |
| NBA Seasons |
14 |
15 |
| Playoffs Played |
11 |
13 |
| All-Star Games |
12 |
14 |
Career Statistics
The advanced statistical categories provide a more in-depth examination of Michael Jordan vs. Kevin Durant's figures than the standard boxscore data, enabling us to analyze each player's talents and production and their respective contributions to their teams.
Career
When comparing Michael Jordan's and Kevin Durant's regular-season career statistics, we see that Michael Jordan leads in Value Over Replacement Player, box plus-minus, win share, usage%, Player Efficiency Rating, points, steals, assists, offensive rebounds, field-goal%, minutes played, and the game played.
At the same time, Kevin Durant leads in true shooting percentage, turnovers, blocks, defensive rebounds, free throw percentage, effective field goal percentage, two-point percentage, and three-point percentage.
Overall, Michael Jordan has 17 points against Kevin Durant's 9.
Per Season
When comparing Michael Jordan's 1985 season to Kevin Durant's 2008 season, Michael Jordan leads in Value Over Replacement. Player, box plus-minus, win share, usage%, true shooting%, Player Efficiency Rating, minutes played, points, personal fouls, turnovers, steals, assists, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds, free throws, effective field goal%, two point%, number of two pointers made, field-goal%, minutes played, and the game played statistical categories
In comparison, Kevin Durant leads in blocks, free-throw percentage, three-point percentage, and the number of three-pointers made statistical categories.
Overall, Michael Jordan has 40 points to Kevin Durant's 7.
Awards
|
Kevin Durant |
Michael Jordan |
| Season MVP |
1 |
5 |
| Finals MVP |
2 |
6 |
| All-NBA First Team |
6 |
10 |
| All-NBA Teams |
10 |
11 |
| All-Defensive 1st Team |
0 |
9 |
| All-Defensive Teams |
0 |
9 |
| Defensive Player |
0 |
1 |
| Scoring Leader |
4 |
10 |
| Steals Leader |
0 |
3 |
| Rookie of The Year |
1 |
1 |
When comparing Michael Jordan's and Kevin Durant's career trophies, we can see that
Michael Jordan has 30 awards to Kevin Durant's 10. Michael Jordan has six championships, six Finals MVPs, five Regular Season MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year, ten scoring titles, one Rookie of the Year, and one Hall of Fame in his career, whereas Kevin Durant has two championships, two Finals MVPs, one Regular Season MVP, four scoring titles, and one Rookie of the Year.
Michael Jordan has won six championships; statistically, winning one championship is more common, but just eight players in NBA history have successfully won more than six titles.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a unique fraternity of the finest players to ever play the game, with just 171 players inducted to date.
NBA Regular Season Stats
Stats Per Game
|
Kevin Durant |
Michael Jordan |
| Points Per Game |
27.2 |
30.1 |
| Rebounds Per Game |
7.1 |
6.2 |
| Assists Per Game |
4.3 |
5.3 |
| Steals Per Game |
1.1 |
2.3 |
| Blocks Per Game |
1.1 |
0.8 |
Totals Stats
|
Kevin Durant |
Michael Jordan |
| Total Points |
25,526 |
32,292 |
| Total Rebounds |
6,646 |
6,672 |
| Total Assists |
4,032 |
5,633 |
| Total Steals |
1,021 |
2,514 |
| Total Blocks |
1,038 |
893 |
| Total Games |
939 |
1,072 |
Why Kevin Durant Is A Better Scorer Than Michael Jordan
1. Kevin Durant's length, wingspan, and high release point offer him a significant edge over Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan was listed at 6'6" and had a wingspan of roughly 6'10", 6'11". Kevin Durant is four inches taller than Michael Jordan, standing at 6'10". Durant has a reported wingspan of 7'5". That is six inches longer than Jordan's wingspan, implying that Durant has few opponents capable of guarding him. Durant simply shoots over lesser players, and if opponents send bigger players (power forwards) to guard him, he just blasts by them due to his superior agility.
Another crucial issue is Kevin Durant's extraordinarily high release point.
Durant launches his jump jumper from about 11 feet in the air. Most NBA players cannot jump that high when they are forced to challenge a jump shot without appropriate space or momentum.
2. Kevin Durant has shot better than 50.0% from the field in eight NBA seasons (and counting), whereas Michael Jordan had only six.
Over the course of his 13-year NBA career, Kevin Durant has shot 49.4% from the field. Michael Jordan outperforms Durant in the overall study, shooting 49.7% during his career (including his time with the
Washington Wizards). However, a closer examination of shooting efficiency exposes another aspect of the similarity.
While Durant never shot more than 50% from the field in his first five NBA seasons, he has shot more than 50% in each of his last eight seasons. Durant shot 53.7% from the field in 2020-21, tying his season best from 2016-17. (while he was just 28).
Michael Jordan, on the other hand, shot better than 50% from the field in only six NBA seasons. In reality, Jordan last shot better than 50.0% on the basketball court in 1991-1992, when he was 29 years old.
Durant's shooting has become improved with age.
Durant shot 50.5% from the field at 27, 51.6% at 29, 52.1% at 30, and 53.7% at 32. This is extremely incredible for any NBA player, let alone
Kevin Durant.
As the body loses agility, speed, and athleticism over time, even the best players' shooting suffers. But Durant's skill appears to be maturing like excellent wine. If he continues to develop at his present rate, Durant might surpass Jordan's field goal efficiency by the time he retires.
3. Kevin Durant is unquestionably a better three-point and free-throw shooter than Michael Jordan.
This is a no-contest zone.
Kevin Durant has a lifetime three-point percentage of 38.4% and a free throw percentage of 88.3%. Michael Jordan, on the other hand, shot 32.7% from downtown and a solid 83.5% from the charity stripe. Jordan, of course, was not pulled up to the three-point line.
The arc was first used in collegiate basketball in 1986, a few years after Jordan entered the NBA. But it isn't Durant's fault. He is an expert at this contemporary part of the game, having made 1655 career triples versus Jordan's 581 long-range splashes.
KD was also a member of the 50-40-90 club (in 2012-13), although Jordan never did. Last season,
Kevin Durant shot 53.7% from the field, 45.0% from outside the arc, and 88.2% from the free throw line, just missing the 50-40-90 club for the second time in his career. KD has also never shot less than 85.4% from the foul line, whereas Jordan only did it once in his NBA career (1986-87).
FAQs
Can KD beat LeBron in a 1v1?
Take a look at the tweet below. Kevin Durant did not win a single 1v1 game against the King. Wow. This is a 7-foot sniper, a build many think to be virtually unbeatable in any kind of game, never mind a 1v1 setup.
Can Kevin Durant beat Michael Jordan?
Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, and he could potentially beat even Michael Jordan.
Why is KD the best scorer ever?
Durant is the most efficient scorer in league history, and it's really not all that close. His marksmanship from every area on the floor, coupled with his superb free-throw shooting, makes him one of the most destructive scorers ever. Durant's proficiency makes his competition look average in comparison
Conclusion
There is no clear-cut answer as to who is better, Kevin Durant or Michael Jordan. They are both incredible players with a lot of individual awards and accomplishments. However, when looking at their overall impact on the game, it is clear that Jordan was the more dominant player and had a greater impact on winning.
