Will a title this year redeem KD to the masses?

[One_and_Done]

If KD wins the title this year, playing like he is, will he be redeemed in the eyes of casual fans?

Right now he looks on pace to get to top 5 in points all-time. How do you think you'll rate him at the end of his career?

[Ayt]

No one cares about KD's legacy.

[BeiBeau]

No one cares about KD's legacy.

Well KD does, he’s weirdly concerned about it as far as NBA superstars go.

[Champ1on]

The poll does not match the question in the title. It should be a yes/no question not a all time placement. You can think he redeemed himself and have a low standing or high standing.

[Statlanta]

No, he would still be behind ring count to Curry and he won't get the "LeBron boost" for winning for an organization that hasn't won because of how he treated Brooklyn.

Winning a title with another team he himself handpicked doesn't change him in my mind.

[Lockdown504090]

I think the more interesting thing to do is talk about where his game could have grown to get him into the shaq territory and why having Kevin doesn’t automatically make you a contender

Passing in ball screens, he turns the ball over too much and doesn’t deal with a second defender as well as shaq kareem lebron bird hakeem jokic magic Tim Jordan or wilt. Toss up with Kobe.

In today’s game, you have to be able to make perfect passes to the shooter or dunker you will not have enough clean 3 attempts or layups to
to win.



But he’s a better floor spacer and closeout attacker than everyone on this list. Better shooter as well. It’s just that at the all time level, while important, in the history of hoop, those things aren’t as important.

[dygaction]

He can be top 10 with a path like this:
Fall down to #9 so he can personally get Curry and Draymond out of play-in; 2MVPs + Finals MVP
Kick out LeBron the second game of play-in; 4 MVPs + 4 Finals MVPs
Wipe out #1 Nuggets to revenge last season, 2MVPs+MVP
Defeat Kawhi/Harden/Westbrook of cluster MVPs+Finals MVPs
Defeat Luka/Kyrie to end the previous Nets Big 3 sentiments
Defeat Celtics and lock down Tatum to revenge; or Giannis 2MVPs + Finals MVP

This will be one of most difficult, story loaded, if not the greatest, roads to championship

Similar road for Curry or LeBron can also do great wonder for their legacy

[NbaAllDay]

He doesn't need to be 'redeemed' in the first place.

Nothing about his particular game says they can win it, and if they do he has to play above his current play and/or his teammates play a tier better.

Either way unless he goes on a GOAT run (Hasn't shown he could) it won't happen. The hypothetical assumes he plays above his max or his team does in which it has minimal impact on his ranking imo.

Even though I get Rangz narratives.

Amazing player, limited in ways that hold him back from being a Top 10 player imo but likely solidify as Top 20 bare minimum and more likely on the 12- 15 range.

[iggymcfrack]

Sure winning a title with that thin team would be the most impressive thing KD’s done in his entire career by a mile and it would radically reshape the perception of his career if it happens. It’s also INCREDIBLY unlikely. Basketball-reference currently gives the Suns a 0.3% chance to win the title compared to a 0.8% chance to fail to even make the play-in. I’m not saying I think their chances are actually that low, but I don’t think they’re realistic contenders at all. I’d say there’s a better chance they miss the playoffs than there is that they make the second round.

For your other largely unrelated question, I voted top 25 as I currently have KD at #25 and I don’t really see him doing anything to pass Kobe for #24 or to get passed by anyone below him any time soon.

[Warriorfan]

Cemented top 20 but is it his team

[TheFire]

Suns ain’t winning no damn title this year. Cmon man

[iggymcfrack]

Similar questions to the one posed in the OP:

-Will beating the Celtics in the first round redeem the Bulls front office decisions to the masses?

-Will a Finals MVP this year change the narrative on James Harden?

-Will earning the 7 seed gain Ime Udoka a legit chance at Coach of the Year?

-Will winning the MVP this season make people think Giannis is Jokic’s equal?

[art_tatum]

If KD wins a title and fmvp I see him edging the top 10
I mean 3 chips, 3fmvps, 1mvp, crazy counting and longevity hopefully

I see an argument to leap Hakeem maybe Kobe when all said and done ( both of whom are in the edge 9-12 range in my list)

[Godymas]

KD with 3 titles puts him in the conversation for top 10 but he's a fringe discussion

Almost everyone in the top 10 is basically a 4 or more title guy

Jordan - 6 titles
LeBron - 4 titles
Kareem - 5 titles
Magic - 5 titles
Bird - 3 titles (however his peak is what puts him here, plus 3x MVP)
Russell - 11 titles
Duncan - 5 titles
Shaq - 4 titles
Kobe - 5 titles
Steph - 4 titles

then you have guys like Wilt, Oscar, Hakeem, etc. these guys are kinda like "favorites" where some guys put them in the top 10 and some really discount what they did and look at their lack of overall winning or some slight hole in their resume, or asterisks around things they did. KD kind of falls in line with that imo.

Btw I have Kobe and Steph right at the bottom of a top 10, with Wilt being the guy that I debate between him and Steph/Kobe but obviously different people have different preferences. But IMO there are at 7 guys that are basically cemented top 10 all time and it's really hard to say otherwise and a big part of it is a combination of multiple titles and multiple MVPs and literal era defining basketball.

KD is like the second tier era defining guy of the 2010s. Everyone pretty much puts LeBron/Steph as the two guys of 2010s basketball and KD is like a nice favorite that gets put in there but his legacy is so intertwined with Steph for those rings that it hurts him. If he gets his own ring the top 10 becomes a possibility but I would still put him outside UNLESS that ring is REALLY REALLY special. Like if he gets one ring and it's a Dirk Nowitzki tier ring then that probably gets him in the top 10.

[perempe20]

routing for a 1st round exit...

[_jin]

What a weird thread. If he wins the title this year it would just validate the reasons why the masses dislike him. They think he rode Steph's coattails to his first 2 titles (which is the reason why he's disliked) and now he'd be riding Booker's, which would just strenghten the point of people hating him. This doesnt make sense.

[EmpireFalls]

He’s a top 20 player when he retires most likely.

[Marrrcuss]

What a weird thread. If he wins the title this year it would just validate the reasons why the masses dislike him. They think he rode Steph's coattails to his first 2 titles (which is the reason why he's disliked) and now he'd be riding Booker's, which would just strenghten the point of people hating him. This doesnt make sense.

I didnt know people were so stupid......ok, im lying i did. Anyone that thinks he rode stephs coat tails is probably a HUGE steph stan or just an idiot. He shot over 10% better from the field BOTH years and shot better from 3 the first year. This while out rebounding him and he even out assisted him in 2018. He also hit the dagger both years.

No, if the redemption is because he joined that team, I'll allow it, lol

[_jin]

What a weird thread. If he wins the title this year it would just validate the reasons why the masses dislike him. They think he rode Steph's coattails to his first 2 titles (which is the reason why he's disliked) and now he'd be riding Booker's, which would just strenghten the point of people hating him. This doesnt make sense.

I didnt know people were so stupid......ok, im lying i did. Anyone that thinks he rode stephs coat tails is probably a HUGE steph stan or just an idiot. He shot over 10% better from the field BOTH years and shot better from 3 the first year. This while out rebounding him and he even out assisted him in 2018. He also hit the dagger both years.

No, if the redemption is because he joined that team, I'll allow it, lol

He was the best player on those Warriors but it was always Steph's team just like he's probably the best player on the Suns but it's Booker's team. It strenghtens the narrative that he couldnt win as the main guy in OKC or in Brooklyn where he couldnt get the teammates he handpicked in check. I just dont think a title with the Suns help his legacy to the casual fans eyes.

[Marrrcuss]

What a weird thread. If he wins the title this year it would just validate the reasons why the masses dislike him. They think he rode Steph's coattails to his first 2 titles (which is the reason why he's disliked) and now he'd be riding Booker's, which would just strenghten the point of people hating him. This doesnt make sense.

I didnt know people were so stupid......ok, im lying i did. Anyone that thinks he rode stephs coat tails is probably a HUGE steph stan or just an idiot. He shot over 10% better from the field BOTH years and shot better from 3 the first year. This while out rebounding him and he even out assisted him in 2018. He also hit the dagger both years.

No, if the redemption is because he joined that team, I'll allow it, lol

He was the best player on those Warriors but it was always Steph's team just like he's probably the best player on the Suns but it's Booker's team. It strenghtens the narrative that he couldnt win as the main guy in OKC or in Brooklyn where he couldnt get the teammates he handpicked in check. I just dont think a title with the Suns help his legacy to the casual fans eyes.

Im not big on narratives, but i get that the general public is.

LeBron got ROASTED for switching off KD before he hit that dagger in 2018. The player he switched on to was Steph at the 3 point line. That says a lot.