It seemed an easy pick when answering the question: Who is the best NBA player at the moment? For many and without hesitation, the choice has to be LeBron James. He has been a dominant name for several years now and to date, there appears no clear challenger tipped to bump him off from the top. But there is Kevin Durant.
While James might be the default choice as the current best player, it's hard to ignore that KD is equally capable. The Brooklyn Nets star has won an MVP. He is regarded as a game-changer to teams that he played with. Durant powered the OKC to a Finals appearance and he was a major force on the two NBA titles that the Warriors captured in 2017 and 2018.
As far as Toni Kukoc is concerned, KD is a notch higher than James. Kukoc himself is a legend. He gained superstar status in Europe before joining the Chicago Bulls in the mid-1990s, and with the same club, he cemented his legendary stature by winning three consecutive NBA championships.
It's safe to say that Kukoc is a towering NBA icon, and his words meant premium when he declared that KD is the best that the NBA has at the moment. According to NBC Sports, the former Bulls star is impressed with the limitless offensive possibilities that Durant brings to the game.
"Kevin Durant, to me in my personal opinion, is the best player in the NBA. He can easily bring the ball up the floor. That's a style that the triangle offense allowed that any one of us could run the point or be a post person or fill the corners," Kukoc was reported as saying.
The admiration from the Croatian legend is unsurprising as NBC noted that for the most part, Durant plays the way Kukoc did.
"Kukoc's game definitely is more closely mirrored by Durant, who had a similarly lanky build ... KD's offensive game might be the closest thing to limitless the league has ever seen," said the report.
However, it remains a mystery if the 31-year-old Nets superstar will be the same man that earned Kukoc's vote of confidence when he returns to active duty. Durant suffered a torn Achilles during the Warriors' losing Finals series with the Raptors in 2019. Many who sustained the same injury returned to play and they were not the same man as before.
In any case, the Nets are not taking any chance as Yahoo Sports reported that there is no reason for Brooklyn to deploy KD on the court when the suspended NBA season restarts. The team is looking ahead to the next season and see how Durant will deliver, and likely prove that Kukoc was right with his assessment.
The Nets are willing to wait and if KD proves he remains the same man as described by Kukoc, then it should be worth doing so.
