Former NBA player Marquis Teague found his way into controversial debates by starting the topic of Kawhi Leonard vs Kevin Durant on a historical level. Leonard returning to the Toronto Raptors after the disgraced ending to the Los Angeles Clippers tenure has him in the news again. Teague decided to get spicy by bringing up Durant and why he was never as good as Leonard.
Marquis shared the following thought when appearing on his brother Jeff’s podcast:
“Kawhi Leonard is better than Kevin Durant to me. I’ve never seen KD carry a team like that… If he was on that Toronto team, they wouldn’t have won. And I love KD, no disrespect, but that’s just a fact.”
The point comes back to whether all NBA Championship rings are equal. Leonard won two unlikely titles as the NBA Finals MVP for the San Antonio Spurs in the early portion of his career and with the Raptors at his peak.
Durant also won two rings and two Finals MVPs with the Golden State Warriors, but he doesn’t get equal credit for those. Joining a team that won 73 games and a previous NBA title before him made Durant feel less valuable on a roster that thrived before and after his tenure.
Why Kevin Durant Should Feel Disrespected
Titles are the most important part of the game, but Durant has done a whole lot more than Leonard in every other area. Durant recently passed Michael Jordan to become fourth overall in NBA history among the league’s most points by one player.
An MVP Award with the Oklahoma City Thunder showed Durant being the face of a franchise and making them a contender many seasons. Leonard declined with the Clippers due to missing a lot of time to injury and never fully living up to their potential.
The Clippers sacrificed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a dozen draft picks to start a new era with Leonard and Paul George. Kawhi allegedly breaking rules to warrant the recent NBA punishment is also something low that Durant has never done. Teague’s argument would make more sense if Leonard had a career like Stephen Curry or LeBron James.
Why Kawhi Leonard Could Be Argued Above Durant
Teague made the best point possible when citing the 2019 NBA Championship as something historic in Kawhi’s favor. Leonard’s best teammates were a young Pascal Siakam and an aging Kyle Lowry to bring Toronto an unlikely title.
Durant has truly never had an accomplishment like that since he played with Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the most stacked super team ever to get his titles. Leonard’s Spurs ring could be argued the same since he was younger and played for an established dynasty core.
However, the 2019 run showed that Kawhi could be the best player in the world with minimal help and everything on the line. Durant’s failed tenures with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns caused his reputation to take a hit, especially since Golden State won another title just three seasons after losing him.
Former Player Says Kawhi Leonard Was Better Than Kevin Durant