The Best Basketball Player Alive Every Year: 2010s
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00:00 One way we've all gotten through quarantine
00:02 is to rank players throughout NBA history.
00:05 Our Michael Shapiro has done so for every year, each decade.
00:10 And we're into the 2010s.
00:11 Now, Michael, I would argue LeBron James
00:13 is the best player every single year.
00:16 But I want to focus on another player really quickly.
00:18 Kevin Durant.
00:19 Do you think because of his move to the Warriors,
00:22 perhaps just how good he's been
00:24 was underappreciated a little bit?
00:28 You know, I certainly think that's the case.
00:30 I think Durant really hasn't gotten
00:31 his due as one of the greatest players in NBA history.
00:34 I understand that his move to Gordon State
00:36 wasn't exactly popular.
00:37 It kind of ruined the league's competitive balance.
00:40 But you look back to the 2017 and 2018 finals,
00:43 it's arguable that in spurts, Durant outplayed LeBron James.
00:46 I think 2017 really stands out, where
00:49 Durant, as he did in that season,
00:50 kind of had a fair argument as the best player alive.
00:54 But how much of that was him being flanked by the Splash
00:56 Brothers, because no one can handle KD one on one.
00:59 Meanwhile, on the other side, LeBron
01:01 is the focal point of the other team's D.
01:05 You know, I think it's certainly a fair point.
01:07 Durant had basically perfect conditions for him
01:09 when he went to Gordon State.
01:10 When you look earlier in the decade, though, even when he
01:13 was in Oklahoma City, Durant consistently,
01:15 as you see in our piece finished,
01:17 second behind James for a slate of years.
01:20 Maybe he wasn't as good as LeBron
01:21 until he went to Gordon State.
01:23 But I think his resume all time certainly speaks for itself.
01:26 Yeah, and I think he's the kind of guy
01:28 where one sort of seminal moment in Brooklyn
01:32 could really put him over the top in some of these debates.
01:35 Michael, appreciate your time, as always.
01:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]