Curry and Durant, who has a higher historical status? After a comprehensive comparison, it is found that he was overestimated.
There is no doubt that James is the number one player in this era, having been at the top of the pyramid for more than ten years. Below him are Curry and Durant, who have faced each other on the court and also won two consecutive championships together. So, based on their current career achievements, who has a higher historical status? Let's take a comprehensive look and see who is better between Durant and Curry.
Career statistics
Curry averages 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in his career, with a shooting percentage of 47.2%, three-point shooting percentage of 42.5%, and free throw percentage of 91%; In the playoffs, he averages 27 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 45.3% and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.7%.
Durant averages 27.3 points, 7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in his career, with a shooting percentage of 50.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 38.8%, and free throw percentage of 88.3%; In the playoffs, he averages 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1 steal, and 1.2 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 47.7% and a three-point shooting percentage of 35.6%.
It is not difficult to see that, whether in the regular season or playoffs, Durant's performance on the offensive end is superior to Curry's, which is why he was able to win the scoring title four times.
Personal honors
Curry has won 4 championships, 1 Finals MVP, 2 regular season MVPs, 2 scoring titles, 1 steal title, 10 All-Stars, 4 first-team All-NBA selections, 4 second-team All-NBA selections, 2 third-team All-NBA selections, and 1 first-team All-Rookie selection.
Durant has won 2 championships, 2 Finals MVPs, 1 regular season MVP, 4 scoring titles, 14 All-Stars, 6 first-team All-NBA selections, 5 second-team All-NBA selections, 1 Rookie of the Year, and 1 first-team All-Rookie selection.
In terms of honors, both have their own strengths. Curry has an advantage in the number of championships and MVPs, while Durant has an advantage in Finals MVPs, scoring titles, and All-NBA selections. However, in the eyes of many media and fans, Durant's 2 championships + 2 FMVPs were largely won with the help of the Warriors' strong lineup system, and after leaving the Warriors, he has not been able to lead his team to the Finals. In other words, without Curry, Durant's honors would be greatly reduced.
Influence and commercial value
The comparison of personal influence is relatively subjective. Curry is the leader of the small-ball era. He changed the style of modern basketball with his three-point shots. He can be said to be a milestone player in NBA history, with an influence that is no less than legends like Jordan and Magic Johnson. Durant is one of the best scorers in history, breaking people's perception that tall players can only play inside. It is precisely because of Durant's emergence that more and more tall players began to focus on technique and shooting.
In terms of commercial value, Curry is slightly ahead of Durant. He is not only the highest-paid player in the NBA, but his off-court commercial annual income exceeds 50million,andhealsohasa1 billion lifetime contract with Under Armour, which is second only to James in today's league. Although Durant also has a lifetime contract, it is worth only about $400 million, directly reflecting the gap in commercial value between him and Curry.
In summary, in the comparison of historical status, although Durant's data is more eye-catching than Curry's, the latter undoubtedly has the upper hand in terms of career achievements and influence. This is also why many media outlets such as ESPN and TNT always rank Curry ahead of Durant in player rankings. What do you think about this?