“Kevin Durant or Nikola Jokic?”: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce Argue Which Superstar Impacts Their Team’s Winning More

Kevin Durant missing 10 of the Suns’ first 24 games has cost him the opportunity to win the MVP award. However, the forward’s value to Phoenix cannot be understated. With him, the team is 12-2 and boasts one of the league’s most potent offenses. Without the 14-time All-Star, however, they are 1-9. Their win percentage without the veteran is lower than the Wizards’ and they are the league’s worst team. These numbers suggest no player is as valuable to their team as Durant is to the Suns. However, Kevin Garnett disagrees, claiming that the distinction belongs to Nikola Jokic.

On the KG Certified podcast, the Hall of Famer and co-host Paul Pierce were asked whether Durant is the most impactful player in the NBA. The retired forward responded that in his estimation, the Nuggets center is more important to their success than the 14-time All-Star is to the Suns’. Explaining why, he said,

“You can put four average people around [Jokic] and as long as there’s movement, a guy who can shoot, a playmaker, you got one who can rebound, he will make all four better… His IQ and feel for the game [are phenomenal]… When you put a player like that that make everybody better, it just illuminates the whole thing.”

Pierce countered that the Nuggets lost to the Wizards with Jokic, suggesting they are a poor team with or without him. On the flip side, the Suns boast one of the best records in the league with Durant and the worst without him. That should automatically make the forward the most valuable.

Garnett did not buy that argument. He argued that despite their poor record in Durant’s absence, the Suns would be relatively fine in the long run. He claimed that Devin Booker and Bradley Beal would step up if the forward did not play another game this season. However, without Jokic, the Nuggets would likely be a lottery team.

Nuggets are no good without Nikola Jokic

The Suns may have a 1-9 record without Durant, but their offense isn’t affected as much as that .100 win rate would suggest. In the 10 games he’s missed, Phoenix has an offensive rating of 114.4. It rose to 118.5 in his 14 outings this season.

On the flip side, the Nuggets have an offensive rating of 119.5 with Jokic, which would rank fourth in the NBA. It sunk to 101.7 in the three games he sat out. The Wizards, who are 3-20, the worst record in the league, have an offensive rating of 104.1. Without the center, Denver goes from having one of the best offenses in the league to the worst.

The tale of the tape gets even worse when taking into consideration how Jokic’s trips to the bench affect the team.

The Nuggets with and without Jokic 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/QUqgvdGt0b

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) December 6, 2024

That indicates how critical the three-time MVP is to his team. There’s no doubt that Durant is the difference between the Suns being title challengers and a middling play-in team. However, without Jokic, Nuggets fans would have to daydream about landing Cooper Flagg, the presumed first-overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.