Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player?

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Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#1 » by JF5 » Wed Jul 13, 2011 5:30 am

We've seen him play. Fantastic scorer who can shoot anywhere on the court.

But the beef that I think that we all have for him is that he isn't a great all around player.

Now, with that being said.

Can he still develop into an all-around player? Or will he be the Swing Man version of Dirk Nowitzki?
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#2 » by Kobe 24 Revis » Wed Jul 13, 2011 5:32 am

Needs to learn how to create his shot without the use of a pick and roll/refs bailing him out.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#3 » by chubby_1_kenobi » Wed Jul 13, 2011 5:51 am

Kobe 24 Revis wrote:Needs to learn how to create his shot without the use of a pick and roll/refs bailing him out.

Great post. Durant is a scorer so let him score. Nowadays, being all around is a "statistical" term that's being way overused with no real life value anyway. A real all around player means a great scorer and a defensive presence at the same time.

Durant simply needs to be an even better scorer and the way he can do that is to add a post game into his repertoire. Running around screens all day to get open shots means he's just Rip Hamilton on crack but it forces his teammates into a rigid and inflexible offense. If Durant can thrive in an isolation situation (like every all time great scorers do) he will be winning rings in bunches with OKC's current core.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#4 » by Clangus » Wed Jul 13, 2011 5:53 am

Durant is already a decent defender and I would expect that to improve.
He scores so well off the ball I think he should continue doing that.

I would like to see a better handle/less turnovers.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#5 » by Dreamz » Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:00 am

I think everyone would be very surprised if he didnt become a much more complete all around player. He seems to have a great work ethic and wants to win so I dont see any reason why he wont unless something drastic happens injury wise.

I think Kevin Durant has the potential to be the best player in the NBA in the nest 5 years, personally.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#6 » by deepblueday » Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:33 am

statistically? probably not too much. 30-7-3 is a good baseline for him, can't really see much variation there unless he decides he wants to isolate and create a lot more in the half court, in which case I could see his assist count jumping to around 5+. in terms of his game, I think he'll just continue to slowly mature... become a better iso scorer, better passer out of doubles, craftier defender, eliminate those 26 foot pull ups, etc. five years from now, when he's like, what, 27, he's gonna be at that point of complete mastery, where everything's just so familiar and comfortable, and he's making the perfect decision without even thinking.

he does needs to learn to fight for and catch the ball in the mid-post, and develop a triple threat iso game ala paul pierce. i dunno if really has the handle or the explosive first step to consistently beat defenders one-on-one off the dribble from the 3 pt line in the half court. just too tall and lanky, doesn't possess that elite fluidity with the ball. facing up from 16 with an active dribble, where defenders absolutely have to play him right in his grill or he'll just drain **** all day, and he can take one or two quick, explosive dribbles and either pull up or be at the rim... he'd absolutely murder guys. in terms of iso scoring and playmaking in the post season, this is his future.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#7 » by Archerbro » Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:00 am

a post game, since he's pretty tall and lanky. That's really it i think. Defense he can improve, but i never see him dominating. maybe become a slightly better passer.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#8 » by Shamizy » Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:09 am

He's only 22. Unless he pulls a LeBron and decides to completely ignore flaws in his game, he'll definitely improve as an all-around player. First needs to get a little bit of mass on him so he can actually back someone down with a low-post game. Passing could use quite a bit of work. Also he needs to get better at decision-making. I've seen him take wtf shots from waaaaay beyond the arc at the end of the shot clocks far too many times.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#9 » by dodongo » Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:22 am

chubby_1_kenobi wrote:Great post. Durant is a scorer so let him score. Nowadays, being all around is a "statistical" term that's being way overused with no real life value anyway. A real all around player means a great scorer and a defensive presence at the same time.

Durant simply needs to be an even better scorer and the way he can do that is to add a post game into his repertoire. Running around screens all day to get open shots means he's just Rip Hamilton on crack but it forces his teammates into a rigid and inflexible offense. If Durant can thrive in an isolation situation (like every all time great scorers do) he will be winning rings in bunches with OKC's current core.

ditto and hopefully he develops his post game and passing.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#10 » by slick_watts » Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:20 pm

He has a ton of potential defensively, just like LeBron did when he was younger, but focuses too much on the offensive end right now. Sometimes you see flashes of his defensive versatility, using his length to bother shots and size to defend bigger players. I recall him defending David West for several series in a game against the Hornets and doing well, and everyone remembers the defense against Kobe during the stretch in the 2010 playoffs. OKC as a whole got away from defense for most of this season but with the roster changes I expect Durant to take another big step there next year.

His TOV% has dropped every year in the league. Though he isn't creating more shots for others, he's taking better care of the ball and has been smarter about how to get his shots with less risk of turning it over.

Durant actually does well in isolations. He's not prolific there but scores at a rate comparable to someone like Carmelo.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#11 » by buckeye12 » Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:52 pm

Jordan, Magic, Bird, KG, Lebron, Wade, ...... all have PG skills and excellent passers, all these guys can lead a break and make a cool no look pass. hopefully Durant can be a 5.0apg guy

like mention above, it would be great to see Durant turn into a top 5 defensive player like Pippen or KG, lord knows he is super lanky like Pippen and KG. Jordan did show you can be a top five defender and #1 scorer.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#12 » by big_ticket » Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:54 pm

rebounding and blocks,KD is 6'10 he must average 10 or more boards and 2-3 blocks
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#13 » by wiff » Wed Jul 13, 2011 1:15 pm

I think it is safe to say that at the age of 22 Durant has hit his ceiling. I don't see him adding any post game what so ever, nor do I see him improving his body, I don't see him improving at all ever. He is a finished product and will never get better EVER!




















































I love these threads, The kid is 22. How many people never improve at something they work at when they haven't even approached their prime?
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#14 » by -Kees- » Wed Jul 13, 2011 1:19 pm

I think he should use his lengthy wing span, and go take a summer and learn from Prince how he defended.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#15 » by HeartSouloma » Wed Jul 13, 2011 4:16 pm

Shamizy wrote:He's only 22. Unless he pulls a LeBron and decides to completely ignore flaws in his game, he'll definitely improve as an all-around player. First needs to get a little bit of mass on him so he can actually back someone down with a low-post game. Passing could use quite a bit of work. Also he needs to get better at decision-making. I've seen him take wtf shots from waaaaay beyond the arc at the end of the shot clocks far too many times.


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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#16 » by Sinant » Wed Jul 13, 2011 4:50 pm

If "all-around player" = LeBron-like, then no. Durant's game isn't suited for high assists numbers. He'd have to radically change the way he plays in order to generate those volume assists that people keep saying he should be getting.

However, he can become an elite defender if he works at it (like LeBron did), and he should be more aggressive as a rebounder (there's no reason he can't be in the 9rpg range). There's also lots he can do to improve his offensive game, as good as it currently is. Adding a post-game, becoming better at isolations etc etc. If he did all those things, he'd be a terrific "all-around" player.

Just don't expect him to ever put up 30-7-7 like LeBron did/does. His game isn't suited for it.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#17 » by Elden Payton » Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:14 am

KD has as much potential as any player in the world & is obviously hardworking, I believe that his scoring is so good he's not recognised enough already for the other things he does on the court.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#18 » by Iplaytolose » Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:26 am

big_ticket wrote:rebounding and blocks,KD is 6'10 he must average 10 or more boards and 2-3 blocks


not sure if srs...

At best, I could see him averaging maybe 8 boards and a block per game. Since when has a SF/SG averaged over 10 boards per game?
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#19 » by fallacy » Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:55 am

He's the best scorer in the league, and should win the scoring title for the next 10 years or so. He is a very good rebounder for his position and is an above average defender.

He's never going to put up 5+ assists per game because he's not an iso player and rarely gets to dribble around with the ball in his hands. I'm more concerned about his handling ability more than I am about his raw assists. He needs to work on turning over the ball less (which he has since his turnovers have gone down every year, but it needs to be lower)


His prime will be a 32-8-3 guy on very, very high efficiency. That's damn good, and people shouldn't really expect a bron-like stat line from him because he just doesn't have the ball like Lebron does.
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Re: Kevin Durant, can he improve as an all-around player? 

Post#20 » by Elden Payton » Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:59 am

Iplaytolose wrote:
big_ticket wrote:rebounding and blocks,KD is 6'10 he must average 10 or more boards and 2-3 blocks


not sure if srs...

At best, I could see him averaging maybe 8 boards and a block per game. Since when has a SF/SG averaged over 10 boards per game?


Gerald Wallace!! He's also averaged 2 steals & 2 blocks in a season before.

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