Kevin Durant thinks his generation has an answer to The Answer.
In an appearance on the self-titled podcast of The Ringer’s Bill Simmons on Tuesday, Durant applauded the greatness of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving and compared him to another great combo guard in Allen Iverson.
“I was telling some of my friends after Game 2, I was like, Kyrie, he just makes you happy when you watch him play,” said the newly-minted NBA Finals MVP, per Ryne Nelson of SLAM Online. “You just smile when you watch him play because for somebody to be that skilled, you know he had to work tirelessly at it. The stuff he has in his package is next-level stuff that you can try to teach your kids to do it, but you’ll never be able to do it.
“Kyrie is better than AI to me,” Durant continued. “I’m going from like skill for skill. His handle is better. We might have to cut that out. I don’t want no problems with AI. Y’all might have to cut that one. I don’t want that to get out. I’m just saying I feel like Kyrie got more skill.”
Durant just finished his first-ever playoff series against Irving, who averaged 29.4 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting and 41.9 percent from three in it. It’s worth noting that Durant also played against Iverson, albeit only in the regular season and not until Iverson’s last few years in the league.
Both Irving and Iverson are/were elite scoring two-guards trapped in the role/body of a point guard. Irving might have the better overall handle, inside finishing ability, and three-point shot, but his first step, crossover, heart, and athleticism don’t quite compare to Iverson’s. AI also played in a much more physical, slower-paced era and never had a teammate close to the level of LeBron James (with all due respect to Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony). While Durant is no stranger to controversial opinions, for the rest of us, the “right” answer probably has something to do with who you grew up watching.
