Is Kevin Durant the best player in the NBA? He’s not going on a limb and declaring that, although he does have his MVP from last season to show for it. The best scorer in the NBA? He is a four-time scoring champion as proof, and in this case, the Oklahoma City Thunder star isn’t exactly shy about his point production.

Durant didn’t say something special in an exclusive, expansive, revealing interview. He isn’t obsessed, at least when talking to the public, about being number two, about being behind LeBron James in everything. Last season calmed part of that inside of him. He won the MVP in the regular season, which brought him to tears and created what is still one of the hottest memes on the internet. 

He spoke at an NBA 2K event (Durant is on the cover of NBA 2k15) and mentioned that he believes he is the best scorer in the NBA. He has won four out of the last five scoring titles and at the moment, unless LeBron James is holding back (which sometimes he mentions he is), there’s no arguing about Durant being the best at putting the ball in the basket in a variety of ways, be it attacking the rim or shooting from very deep.

Is he the best player? It’s probably an impossible question to answer when the running is this close, but I’d have to say that it’s a narrow no at the moment. He might be better at scoring than LeBron James but when you take into account a lot of other things – from passing ability, court vision, defense and generally who is better for his team, despite both being in different situations, James probably leaves with the upper hand.

Durant has time to change my, and others’ minds. James won’t be on top forever, as Durant has the fountain of youth advantage. At some point, every best player falls and his seat is taken by someone else. Durant keeps adding things to his game except for an NBA title, and at some point it’ll be enough for the majority to pick him and knight him as the best player in the league.

Whether or not that lasts for very long, and whether or not that will be as an Oklahoma City Thunder player (Hints of joining the Washington Wizards when his contract runs out), are a different set of questions, that any attempt to answer them will be nothing but an uneducated guess.

Images: Source