Ranking the Real OK3
James Harden vs. Kevin Durant vs. Russell Westbrook
The original OK3 have all won their individual MVP’s, a feat that reminds us of the team that never was. The James Harden trade from OKC to Houston, leaving behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, has had more impact on the NBA than even LeBron James switching to Miami eight years ago. While the accomplishments of each member of the OK3 are putting them all on pace for the Hall of Fame, it is still a fun exercise to think about how they rank against each other right now. The criteria to rank Westbrook vs. Harden vs. Durant goes beyond just basketball so I will try encompass some of all of it. Here are the categories:
On Court: Individual player, MVP season, Highlights, Rings.
Off Court: Off Court Presence, Future Prospects
Best Individual Player
1. Durant 2. Harden 3. Westbrook
Durant is the best two-way player of the three and the second best player in the NBA. To be clear, all three players are absolutely elite on offense. 1 on 1, they can’t be guarded and both Harden and KD are lethal three-point shooters. Westbrook is one of the most explosive players in the NBA and tries his hardest to literally destroy the rim with every chance. Durant might still be the best offensively of the OK3 but it is so close that having any of the three is franchise altering. There are plenty of arguments to be made that KD is in the easiest position to be one of the most efficient players in the NBA but during the entire 2018 playoffs, he consistently destroyed everyone that tried to guard him. He is as un-guardable as it gets.
Defense is a very different story. KD is easily the best on defense. He expanded his role in 2017–2018 as a shot blocker and learned to use his length to contest everything. Harden and Westbrook are both average to above average defensively when they give full effort but that isn’t always consistent. This isn’t necessarily a knock on them but KD is clearly the most diversely skilled player between all three. Harden edges out Westbrook for second place due to his better 3pt shooting.
Best MVP season
1. Westbrook 2. Durant 3. Harden
All 3 MVP’s had elite seasons worthy of their MVP, making this decision extra hard. So why is Westbrook’s 2017 MVP season number 1? Because he completely stole the narrative in the final weeks of the season from James Harden. By completing the revered triple-double season average and keeping OKC alive (ish) without KD, Russ captured the entire basketball world. Harden deserved the MVP in 2017 even though playoff hindsight tarnishes that case some. In 2018, the Beard made it clear he was the MVP by pushing the Rockets to one of their best seasons in franchise history. He was the favorite all year but for the Rockets, only beating the Warriors truly mattered. I don’t even remember anything from his speech (side note: the NBA Awards show is still lame).
Durant vs. Westbrook is a much closer argument. Durant’s 2014 MVP season was incredible, outplaying a peak-of-his-powers LeBron. His MVP speech was unforgettable and his tribute to his mother was moving. Despite all of that, I haven’t seen a narrative grip the NBA world so tightly as the Westbrook MVP push.
For all the talk of triple-doubles being arbitrary and of Westbrook stat-padding, he did something that hadn’t been done in 40 years. And this doesn’t even consider the fact that both Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron were legitimate MVP candidates. There is some recency bias here but Westbrook’s MVP season was unprecedented and it has changed the way we view an MVP. Russ proved his dedication to a city and franchise that felt scorned by KD and the media agreed that an MVP can transcend beyond just what happens on the court.
Best Highlights
1. Durant 2. Harden, Westbrook
There are only a few categories that have clear winners. Separating the best highlight generator of the three might be the toughest. When you think of Harden highlights, you think of when he destroyed Wesley Johnson. If Harden dunks, it catches everyone off guard with how brutal it can be. When you think of Westbrook highlights, there isn’t only one. Instead, there are lengthy videos of Westbrook attacking the basket so viciously, you have to pity the poor rim. He would definitely be happy if he could shatter the backboard like Shaq.
But the best highlights are those on the biggest stages, the ones that define careers and win games. Most players are lucky if they get a chance to play in the finals, let alone have a legendary highlight. Durant has two.
The Game 3 daggers in 2017 and 2018 by Durant ate up any hope the Cavaliers (and the rest of basketball fandom) had. No matter how much crap KD takes for his decision to go to GSW, he proved to be the difference both times. Harden and Westbrook yearn for that chance and they will hopefully get it but for now KD reigns supreme.
Rings
2 Durant, 0 Westbrook, Harden
This is pretty straightforward. Durant gets a nice +2 bonus for being a key part of the Warriors repeating back to back titles. Let’s be real, KD made the move that worked for him but took the easiest path to those titles. It will be interesting to see how all 3 players end up in the rings department when they each retire.
Best Off-Court Presence
1. Westbrook 2. Harden 3. Durant
Off-Court presence is a summation of social media usage, endorsements, and non-basketball related influence. Let’s start backwards since there are some well-known struggles with KD and off-court media. Getting into Twitter/Instagram fights with random fans is not great for the image of a player. KD by no means should be expected to do anything a certain way but when everyone from children to adults are following players every move, things always get blown out of proportion. These random arguments point to insecurities that nothing external will ever fix, and KD is one of the most successful human beings alive. Judgement from other people hurts and when fame gets involved, it gets ugly very fast. KD is last not because he has done anything wrong but because all the good he has been engaged in is overshadowed by all the petty fights and burner accounts.
Between Harden and Westbrook, I chose Westbrook because of his connections with the fashion industry and subjectively having better commercials. They are both involved with all their product lines and dip their toes across several industries.
Brightest Future
- Durant 2. Westbrook, Harden
How do we properly evaluate future prospects? In an era dominated by player empowerment, things change rapidly. Teams rise and fall within a few years and almost none survive longer term. GSW is trying their best to break that trend and are the favorite this year, especially with Boogie Cousins joining them. After a potential 3-peat, who knows what is next for KD. Does he double down with GSW and go for more rings or start fresh somewhere else and build his own contender? Rumors are always flying around about KD to the Knicks but pretty much any team would become an instant contender having him.
If Westbrook or Harden somehow won a title in 2018–2019, they immediately take over as the alpha OK3. But with the current Rockets and Thunder rosters, competing against GSW is harder than ever. Even with the GM wizards that Sam Presti and Daryl Morey are, competing with FIVE All-NBA starters is a nearly impossible task. Even if KD were to sign with a new team, the West is still very loaded and the Warriors won’t just roll over. The window for Harden and Westbrook to win titles as the leader is smaller than ever. It is the next step in their Hall-Of-Fame resumes but what will it take for them to reach it?
Totals
Assigning 3 points to 1st place, 2 points to 2nd place, and 1 point to 3rd place gives us the totals. Rings are an extra bonus, which obviously serves KD the most. Before showing the totals, my own bias leans to James Harden. I believe all three are pretty much at the apex of their powers but Harden has exceeded his initial expectations the most. Chris Bosh mentioned on the Bill Simmons podcast that the main goal in the 2012 Finals was stopping Harden to win. His game has drastically improved each and every year and he only becomes more unstoppable. I am confident the Rockets would have won against GSW with a healthy Chris Paul. While KD is likely to win any argument about the OK3, he has tarnished his own reputation and I just don’t enjoy watching the Warriors win every year. With all that said, here are the final completely-objective-100%-not-at-all-biased tallies:
Durant wins, even without the rings. While the numbers are very tight and there aren’t many categories being evaluated, Durant should come out on top. His game is more rounded and he has shown he can be the best player on the court in the Finals, no easy task. Re-evaluating these rankings at any point will be a fun exercise and maybe a new OK3 will be crowned.
In summary, comparing 3 of the best 5/6 players in the league is an exercise in nitpicking. Each of the OK3 are incredible and I’m just repeating myself when I say they are already set to make the Hall. The story has written itself, a tale of 3 brothers who were pushed to find success on their own. Perhaps someday we will see a reuniting, something that would transcend beyond just basketball. Time heals all wounds, even in a social media culture that reminds us nonstop of our flaws. All of these players are good human beings, who make mistakes which wouldn’t matter if they weren’t famous. But we expect more from players, pushing perfection. In such a competitive environment, ability and worth can be twisted into each other. As fans of the game, we crave rankings, legacy, and comparison. The players understand this more than ever, sometimes to a fault. We all feed into the drama it can produce, forgetting just how impossible perfection is. However, as we start to understand just how much more complex human beings all are, we can appreciate the differences more and more. Even in something as simple as a sport.
