The NBA's Elite Forwards:
Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan

By JG21

In 1995, Kevin Garnett made history in NBA basketball by becoming the first player (at the time) in over 20 years to make the jump directly from high school to the NBA -something that was deemed impossible back then. Everyone was convinced that this high school phenom, the 5th overall pick in the '95 NBA draft, was not going to survive life in the NBA. Fueled by sheer determination and loads of confidence, Garnett surpassed the odds that set him up to fail. A solid rookie season, which resulted in an All-rookie second team selection, was more than enough to prove that he was ready for the league. A strong second season in which he averaged 38.9mpg 17.0ppg 8.0rpg 2.12bpg, shooting 50% from the floor, put to rest any doubts of Garnett's brilliance. 

Two years later, after 4 successful seasons at Wake Forest, Tim Duncan stormed into the NBA. As the 1st overall pick in the '97 NBA draft, Duncan wasted no time in establishing himself as a legit star in the league. He averaged 39.1mpg 21.1ppg 11.9rpg 2.51bpg, and shot 54% from the floor, in his rookie season. Resulting in an All-NBA first team selection, and making him the first rookie since Larry Bird in 1980 to be honoured with the selection. 

Today, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan are among the top 3 players in the league. They both have the game and attitude to be winners for a long time in the NBA. They may share the same jersey number, but as their brief backgrounds above indicate, they are two totally different superstars. One is among the most exciting players to watch, and the other is purely fundamental. Yet, in my opinion, there's no denying the on-court "rivalry" that has developed between the two. While it doesn't have the history and brutality of the Heat-Knicks rivalry, it is definitely a high-stakes matchup worth watching -in my opinion, one of the best! The Alamodome fills up when "the Big ticket" checks in to battle the Spurs' more productive 'twin tower', and the Target Center is more than packed when TD comes to town to battle the T-Wolves most prized possession. One things for sure, Garnett and Duncan are the two top power forwards in the NBA. But who's better? 

Achievement-wise, both players have a lot to be proud of. Garnett is a 3-time all-star who is also only the 9th player in NBA history to average at least 20 points 10 rebounds and 5 assists, in a single season. He's earned All-NBA first team, All-Defensive first team & All-Interview second team honors. He was also selected to the 2000 olympic team. Duncan on the other hand, is a 2-time all-star, who's also earned All-NBA first team & All-Defensive first team selections, and was also selected for the 2000 olympic team (however, he's currently not participating in the olympics due to injury). In addition, in only his second season in the league, he led the Spurs to their first NBA title in franchise history. 

The most recognizable aspect among the achievements of both players is the fact that Duncan has a championship ring. As honourable and respectable as that may be for Duncan, it's obvious he received tons of help and had a more impressive supporting cast than Garnett. Duncan being able to clog up the paint with David Robinson is quite an advantage! I commend Duncan for having led the Spurs to the 'promised land', however, because of the help he's had, I'm not going to claim that he's better than Garnett just because he has a ring! 

Statistically, both 7-footers are more-or-less equal in the main categories:
(99/00 stats) 

Garnett -22.9ppg 11.8rpg 5.0apg 1.48spg 1.56bpg .497fg% & 37% three-point average. 
Duncan -23.2ppg 12.4rpg 3.2apg 0.89spg 2.23bpg .490fg% & 9% three-point average. 

Duncan has the edge in blocks, however, Garnett leads him in more categories than one. He has a better fg%, 3p%, and has more steals and assists per game. 

*If you look at Garnett's numbers over his entire career, you'll notice that he's made major, undeniable improvements in almost every category -especially points & rebounds, unlike Duncan. 

On the court, Garnett is a nightmare to contain. Seriously, what can KG not do? He's a great scorer, very athletic, is an excellent rebounder, a good passer, and has ball-handling skills. In addition, he's quick and has a lot of speed and consequently runs the floor very well. He's also got plenty of range: 10, 14, 16, 20-footer.....take your pick! plus, he can shoot the 3 pointer now. Sometimes he plays like a guard, especially when he comes down and knocks a 3 from up-top -leaving his opponents in awe! Because of Garnett's many qualities, he's extremely versatile (the most versatile player in the league); he can play any position on the floor effectively -center, power forward, small forward, shooting guard. On defense, KG is an animal; he's relentless. He has the shotblocking ability to reject almost any shot that comes his way -with that reach and those hops, there aren't many shots he can't block or at least alter. He's ability to guard a wide range of players such as Duncan, Mourning, Carter, Pippen, Bryant, Webber etc.. definitely puts him above the rest. You won't see Garnett let his man go by him just so he could take-off downcourt for an uncontested basket; KG will shut his guy down on one end of the floor, and then dunk over his guy -and maybe one or two of his guy's teammates -on the other end, and tell them all about it! 

As for Duncan, other than the fact that he's perhaps the NBA's most fundamentally sound player, he's also quite a handful to guard. He's a rare phenomenon in the NBA's flashy world. He has such a 'simple' game, and yet it does more damage than most. While he doesn't compare to Garnett in the versatility department, he can play the power forward and center positions effectively. And even though he doesn't have 3-point range, he can burn you from anywhere inside the arc and definitely holds his own in the low-post. He's an excellent rebounder, a great scorer, and runs the floor relatively well. On defense, Duncan doesn't ease up on anyone; he's a very good shotblocker who contests every shot attempt he can. Overall, Duncan is a very solid, mature player. In my opinion, what he lacks in physical talent, he makes up for in his state of mind. And even though he doesn't have as much physical talent as Garnett, he still gets the job done nonetheless. 

With all that taken into consideration, there's no doubt in my mind that Garnett is better than Duncan. True, Duncan has a bigger build, and is perhaps a better back-to-the-basket player than Garnett. However, KG is much more multi-dimensional. He's not the traditional power forward who just posts up, rebounds, and shoots mid-range jumpers. He faces his man straight-up, beats him off the dribble, shoots fadeaways, buries 3-pointers, hits a couple of turnarounds -basically more of a small forward type of game (which is understandable considering he was once a fulltime SF). Most power forwards can't guard small forwards, and that's what makes Garnett unguardable at the PF position. Hardly anyone can contain him because of his style of play/type of game. His superior speed & quickness and better shooting range than other power forwards means he can either speed by them, or back up for open shots (including 3-pointers) which he's adept at hitting. 

Duncan is a great player, but Garnett is the total package! His unmatched versatility, multi-faceted game, and undeniable athleticism, not only make him a better power forward than Duncan, but also a much better player. 
____________
9/23/2000

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