Definitely not better than Curry.
KD is good, but Curry is the GREATEST SHOOTER OF ALL TIME. It's why he has more rings than KD.
this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2023
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Im guessing they meant just for the years durant was on curry's team.
The warriors were always better with lineups featuring Curry and no Durant than vice versa even during the three years KD was on the team. That is backed up both by eye test and actual on off data where they were like +15 net rating if both played, +12 with curry no KD, and +5 with KD no Curry (I could be fudging the numbers slightly but it was something like that where Durant was obviously a great player but the real driver of that team was always curry).
Here is a video from thinking basketball that dives into it more.
The warriors were always better with lineups featuring Curry and no Durant than vice versa even during the three years KD was on the team.
Because Curry's backups sucked and were out of the league and when KD was out they had Klay and Draymond step up to replace him.
Yeah I really don’t think that was the reason. KD was playing with Klay and Draymond too it’s not like those guys were coming in for him. I think Steph really elevates the other guys around him (including KD) better which is why the team as a whole played better with him.
Here is a video that gets into some more of the film and numbers. To summarize the video; defenses were always much more keyed in on Curry, KD had significantly more efficient scoring efforts when he played with curry than without but Curry was mostly the same with or without, warriors were +2.4 if KD played without Curry vs +12 if Curry played without KD, and +15 if they both played so obviously better but the real driver to their success is curry.
Durant was the best player on the Warriors imo and arguably the best player in the world.
I wouldn’t argue firmly one way or another since we’re talking about two all time great players but imo watching the games and looking at the underlying data Curry was always the real driver of the warriors success. Defenses were also aware of this and spent a lot more attention to Curry.
I think that’s why they were always more successful during those years without Durant than without curry and to me the point was cemented by them winning another championship in pretty convincing fashion without him.
That is perfectly fair although as a person that has watched all of their seasons in the NBA Durant imo was the better player until his many career threatening injuries piled up and he lost a some/a lot of his dexterity, flexibility, agility, bounce, stability, explosiveness, quickness, power and finishing ability.
Durant started out better but Curry has overtaken Durant because he is still a dynamic game changer even though he is older and changed his style some from 2016; while Durant still puts up impressive stats but is much easier to guard, stop, limit and beat now imo.
Although, I wondered had Curry passed Magic Johnson as the best point guard ever when he was winning MVP's I still think prime pre injuries Kevin Durant was a better player and if I could only have one in their absolute prime on my favorite team it would be Durant although I think Curry is a better player right now.
The warriors were always better with lineups featuring Curry and no Durant than vice versa even during the three years KD was on the team.
The system they used for years was built around Curry, and KD’s a plug and play type of the guy. The warriors had no reason to change their way so it makes sense that they played better in the Curry lineups.
Imo that alone can’t account for the dramatic differences that came about during their years together the final numbers ran up as +2 when KD plays without Steph, +12 when Steph played without Curry, and +15. I think those dramatic swings are more do to Curry being better at elevating everyone around him than anything else. To me KD is the better 1 on 1 player but Steph is the better player for 5 on 5.
Again tho I think we’re talking about two all time greats so I don’t think it’s crazy for anyone to have KD above him those years.
People really just gonna throw around goat shooter like Shaq just says most dominant.
Yes
I believe you, yo. I don't know why, but I do.
Yes and while Curry was close in 2017-2019, in real time, everyone knew it was KD. He was what made GSW overwhelming those years.
A GOAT tier scorer could hardly be double teamed being flanked by the GOAT shooter in Steph and in my opinion the 2nd greatest in Klay. GSW was beatable without KD, with KD, he pushed them to untouchable territory where only catastrophic injury to 2 stars was the only thing stopping them.
this is a bad argument . if you add that KD to the cavs he would have made them unbeatable but not better than lebron. just adding kd without removing steph doesn't prove anything. It's like saying warriors don't win 73 games with kd instead of steph.
In real time, everyone knew it was still Curry.
He's Kevon Durant. Y'all know who he is.
Of course. The only questionable years would be the Warriors period. But him and Steph were close enough as players that there's definitely an argument for KD being better
Only team u can say is phx but even thats unfair since he played only a qtr of the season with book. Thats why this season is so interesting whos the number 1 on that twam
It was 8 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Most of which Monty had him standing in a corner lol.
Wait people still think that KD is better than Curry? I don’t know what you we’re watching the last postseason but Booker was better than him, not saying he’s a better player overall but in the Nuggets series it was Booker who won those two games
In scoring, sure. That's just in the boxscore, not much to discuss. For the team's score, I wouldn't say he was a plus in his rookie season lol.
He wasn’t very effective his first year in Brooklyn
He has a case but I would give Steph the nod when they were teammates.
Harden was getting MVP talks over KD while playing for the Nets
On the playoffs, Harden was clearly the best player against the Celtics
He also has the “team won more with him” argument that Steph fans like so much
KD was the best in the world for that single series against the Bucks though
nets would have won if he’d just been behind the three point line.
MVP talks
Because KD got hurt
Then the next year KD was the actual leader in MVP talks before getting hurt again
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No
KD was better then Steph on those three years. Importance is different then being the best, and KD had arguably his best years there, while Steph had his two best in 15-16 and 21-22. I do believe Steph is the better player all time, but in those two years KD was arguably the best player in the world.
How do you figure that KD was better than Steph those three years (Please don't say FMVPs - aka deciding 3 years of performance based on 9 games against the same opponent that focused their defence on limiting one of the two players)? Impact stats, performance with/without each of them, who the opponent's defence focused on limiting etc. all were heavily in Steph's favor.
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For me, Steph was undeniably better than KD in his tenure at GSW. We are talking about a team sport here. If this sport was 1v1, then it would be KD no question. However, Steph is the heart of the team. He is the biggest reason why the team is so successful in terms of his leadership, the spacing he provides, his unselfishness. The proof is in the pudding. Steph has won 2 rings without KD, whereas KD has won none without Steph.
You ever wonder why only warriors fans/diehard Steph stans have that take?
Nah, it's pretty universal. In fact coaches around the league also agree with that sentiment, they game planned around containing Steph & would rather give the space to KD. Which is understandable, one can only imagine the damage Steph would be doing if he got the attention of most #2s.
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Yes.
Curry has had a better career. KD had a better apex.
Curry is the best shooter of all time, but he's not going to impact the game much on the other end of the floor, where he's pretty average.
KD could score in every possible way, plus defend the perimeter and protect the rim at elite levels when necessary.
During those Warriors seasons, fans may have loved Curry - but KD was better.
KD was getting uncontested layups while his man was double teaming Curry in the finals
Lmao
Sure
Probably not a particularly popular opinion with how boyh guys are viewed here now but imo Westbrook was the best player on the Thunder in 2016. In the regular season it was close with an advantage to KD but Durant had a pretty bad post-season, while Russ stepped up.
Nah Curry was always better in my book
Of course you can. KD in his prime was clearly better than Curry in a 7 game series. Height matters in a sport with 10 foot rims. Game on the line, you want the 6’2 Curry running off screens and most likely taking a tough 25+ footer, or do you want to give it to arguably the best midrange shooter of all time who can shoot over anyone? Seems like a no-brainer
In a 7 game series Curry beat KD directly off on an injury the doctors said would take months to heal.
Curry out created and scored much more efficiently than KD while we watched KD shoot league average and have more turnovers than assists.
Not sure what this sample size is from. But Curry was never better that KD and I explained why. Sure the best shooter ever sure has had many amazing moments. But there’s also a thing called defense
Not sure what this sample size is from.
The 2016 WCF which happened to be a 7 game series.
But Curry was never better that KD and I explained why
Is that why curry smokes KD in every impact metric imaginable, has the much deeper ties to winning, is the better post season scorer, the much much much better playmaker, has the much better lineup data without one another, is that why he dwarves KD in making his teammates shooting efficiency sky rocket with him and crater without him? Is that why Curry won before Durant, won 73 games, then beat KD head to head, won with KD, then proceeded to decisively beat the team that embarrassed KD in the 2022 finals?
Curry has the deeper ties to winning. KD has the deeper ties to losing.
Sure the best shooter ever sure has had many amazing moments
Curry is the much better on ball playmaker, he’s the best off ball playmaker in the history of the sport, he’s the better cutter, screen setter, he’s the much better ball handler and passer, he’s much much better at punishing extra defensive coverage and he obviously is the much more resilient post season scorer.
But there’s also a thing called defense
I love this argument. If KD was such a more impactful defender, then why isn’t he close to curry when it comes to impact? Why doesn’t KD’s good defense and curry’s “bad defense” make up for the massive gap in impact?
Ill tell you why. Because curry is a neutral to slightly positive defender while Curry’s offensive output is unmatched of his generation outside of Lebron james.
Because Curry is far and away your fav player and nothing will ever change that. Doesn’t matter that the head coach, Steve Kerr, said multiple times who is the best player. Doesn’t matter how many FMVPs Curry won with KD. Or how he received 0 votes in 2015 when they won it all lol. None of these things matter to you. Nor does Kyrie outplaying him in the biggest choke job in NBA history. Or how his team didn’t even make the playoffs and guys like you thought he deserved MVP.
Your explanation is "height matters"?
No, that is one important fact out of several you chose to use. My explanation is the history of their time together and KD in OKC. That is the prime that is only disputable if you are looking to argue.
Obviously he was the best player on OKC and the Nets.
You can make the argument for Golden State. I do think it says something that teams thought the best defensive action was to try and limit Curry as opposed to KD. I think ultimately they are just two different types of players. But I’d argue that Curry had the better career, and Curry changed the game more.
And at some point, Booker will be considered better than KD. It might even be this season, with Booker entering his prime and KD exiting it. But that’s coming.
The cool thing about KD though - is unlike a lot of superstars. I don’t think he cares.
Not in 21 in BKN. Harden was better.
Booker was better than KD last season.
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