Kevin Durant vs Larry Bird: Who was better in their prime?

Passing

Durant: 6/10

While Kevin Durant certainly has the potential to be a great passer, he has never made it a key piece of his game. For his career, Durant averages 5.4 assists per game. In the 2013-14 season, he averaged a career-high 5.5 assists a night.

One benefit of being a deadly scorer is the fact that other teams are forced to double team you. This constantly gives Durant the opportunity to rack up assists. With All-Star teammates all around him, he is in the perfect environment for assists.

For whatever reason, he seems to choose not to pass the ball at a high rate. It’s not that he is selfish, but it just isn’t his style of play.

It seems as if Durant just doesn’t have the special ability to dish the rock. Not everyone is born with great court vision and it’s a tough skill to learn. He is still an above average passer, just nothing worthy of all-time greatness.

Bird: 10/10

Larry Bird is widely regarded as one of the leagues most gifted passers. His vision on the court was magical. He often saw plays before they happened and was able to surprise both the defense and his own teammates with on-point passes.

Bird had a natural gift for passing the ball. His creativity with the rock was up there with the bests. Because of this, Bird averaged 6.3 assists per game for his career. His best season passing wise was the 1867-87 when he dished out 7.7 assists per game.

Bird had three separate seasons in which he averaged 7+ assists a game. As of now, Bird places 41st on the NBA’s all-time assists list and would probably be higher had he played more healthy seasons.