Durant's decline

[cupcakesnake]

Kevin Durant is still an unstoppable scorer. There is no way a defender (or a defense) can stop him from getting a decent look. That's mostly all he is on offense anymore.

Since his achilles tear, Durant no longer threatens the rim. Prime KD had the whole defense living in fear, because at his size and mobility, he was always one defensive slip up from a dunk or a layup, while also being able to go to a pull up whenever he wants.

Now he only has the pull up game, so while you can't stop him from "getting his", he doesn't have the same devastating impact on a defense.

Overplaying Durant used to be a no-no, but now defenses can kind of overwhelm him without the fear of him getting to the rim. Against Boston 2 years ago, and Denver last year, the defenses keyed in on Durant and found limiting him to be do-able instead of impossible.

Durant has always been a "meh" playmaker, and now that you don't have to fear his drive much, you can pressure him a ton and he doesn't punish you with his passing. He's guilty of throwing really weak passes that give the defense a chance to recover against.

No one can "stop" Durant's pull up game. A pull up game on its own isn't enough to devastate a good defense. It's the exact kind of thing a playoff defense lives with when they try to take away more dangerous stuff.

[dc]

No player will not decline after an achilles tear. The fact that he's made people wonder if he was actually still as good after his achilles tear is a testament to how good he is. The truth is we forget how good superstars are in their prime because these days they hold up so well into their mid-30's.

Yep. Everyone forgets how things have advanced in terms of player longevity. Isiah Thomas retired at age 32 after his achilles tear. He never played again.

James Worthy's game fell off a cliff when he hit 30 and he retired at 32 due to bad knees even though he never had a major injury like an ACL tear. The fact that KD has done what he has after an achilles tear and at his age is remarkable.

[tcheco]

Heck, wouldn't call it a decline, as it sounds a bit harsh, he is regressing, sure, but not crash and burning at all like some players do after 32 ish and major injuries

[Calvin Klein]

Of course he's declining. Still pretty great. But he is not a top 10 player. People will look at his raw stats and say he is, but he really isn't anymore.

It's only logical. Only a fool would expect a 35 year old who has had serious injuries to still be at his prime. He can still be great, but not consistently.

[JustBuzzin]

Durant decline is overblown.

He loss explosiveness and his ball handling has got a little sloppy with him not being able to moves the same, but his shot is still pretty good. KD is still a top 10 player in this league.

[tsherkin]

Of course he's declining. Still pretty great. But he is not a top 10 player. People will look at his raw stats and say he is, but he really isn't anymore.

I don't think most are really fighting the idea that he's not what he used to be at 35 and several injury-riddled years following a major surgery. But through last season, his impact hadn't actually tailed off the much. This year, it's far more noticeable, and post-2019, his inability to own the RA is much clearer.

[DOT]

It's actually kinda crazy he's played 71 games this year

Most since the tear in 2019, and he only played 129 games for the Nets over 3.5 years.

[benhillboy]

Durant’s numbers look fine, many raw and advanced metrics are superior to his career marks.

His issue always has been and always will be nonexistent leadership intangibles (especially on defense). His IQ is mediocre even at 35: he’s never understood his role in fostering multiplicity and variety in his teams’ offense. He rather stand in the corner with his hands out. His screen and long movement game is likely what Draymond hated the most (granted he’s always been great in short movement but many role playing shooters are) When has he ever exhibited notable hustle? Like once a week. It was easy for me to predict on here the Warriors could replace him with no problems. But even I didn’t think it would be “Andrew Wiggins” easy.

Flat out his teammates simply don’t care for him, at any stop. Book was smiling all seasons alongside CP3. He looks like he’s been working on the back of a garbage truck for ‘23-‘24.

Durant absolutely wrecks chemistry and joy even for a 72 win squad. Unless you’re dealing with prime Jordan or Shaq, it’s kinda a big deal for teammates to like one another. Just look at Minny and OKC this season.

I love this new crop of team leaders coming up though (Brunson, Hali, Luka, SGA, Ant). Most have loads more personality and smarts than KD, Westbrook, and Harden, all fluff numbers trash MVPs IMO. All searching for that elusive ring that actually means something but won’t find it.

[Deivork]

The fact that Booker is getting 30 shots a game while KD is only taking 15 makes it already obvious.

They're both sooting 19 times a game. You just made that up.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHO/2024.html

[RingoKid]

He old and tired and damn near busted. Gonna enjoy watching him fade into irrelevance.

Not a fan ever since he did the dirty on OKC!

[UglyBugBall]

Yeah I don't understand why people think the Suns are still any kind of a threat.
I've not watched them a ton, admittedly, but when I have they are the laziest, sloppiest playoff team in the league.
It's not just KD, Book is no different. They play entitled, individual basketball, like defense is someone else's job and their job is to hunt highlights and stats on offense.
It's hard for me to imagine their teammates stepping up in the playoffs the way they need to, when this looks like the least fun & rewarding playoff team to play for if you're a role player not named Grayson Allen, who was made to stand away from the ball and shoot 3s.
First round exit is my guess, without even knowing the matchup.

Not sure how this isn't a rewarding team for a role player. You have three guys that are going to do all the scoring for you. You only need to focus on one side of the ball - defense along with setting some screens here and there. That's it. Seems like a role players dream.

[TheGeneral99]

I can't stand KD as a person, but for a guy at 35 years old to average 27, 5 and 7 on 53%fg and 42%3fg after tearing his achilles at age 31 is pretty insane. He deserves applause for that.

[TheGeneral99]

Durant’s numbers look fine, many raw and advanced metrics are superior to his career marks.

His issue always has been and always will be nonexistent leadership intangibles (especially on defense). His IQ is mediocre even at 35: he’s never understood his role in fostering multiplicity and variety in his teams’ offense. He rather stand in the corner with his hands out. His screen and long movement game is likely what Draymond hated the most (granted he’s always been great in short movement but many role playing shooters are) When has he ever exhibited notable hustle? Like once a week. It was easy for me to predict on here the Warriors could replace him with no problems. But even I didn’t think it would be “Andrew Wiggins” easy.

Flat out his teammates simply don’t care for him, at any stop. Book was smiling all seasons alongside CP3. He looks like he’s been working on the back of a garbage truck for ‘23-‘24.

Durant absolutely wrecks chemistry and joy even for a 72 win squad. Unless you’re dealing with prime Jordan or Shaq, it’s kinda a big deal for teammates to like one another. Just look at Minny and OKC this season.

I love this new crop of team leaders coming up though (Brunson, Hali, Luka, SGA, Ant). Most have loads more personality and smarts than KD, Westbrook, and Harden, all fluff numbers trash MVPs IMO. All searching for that elusive ring that actually means something but won’t find it.

The NBA is in a very good place going forward as the old guard of LBJ, Curry, Durant, Harden, George, Derozan, Lowry, CP3, Klay, Lillard, Westbrook, Butler, AD, Beal, Kawhi etc. only have another 2-4 years remaining.

The new guard is just insane:

Superstar players: Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Embiid, Shai, Tatum etc.

Borderline superstar players: Edwards, Haliburton, Booker, Morant, Mitchell, Brunson etc.

Stars: Towns, Bam, Barnes, Zion, Ingram, Siakam, Fox, Sabonis, Gobert, Murray, Trae, Jaren Jackson, Banchero, Markennan, Randle, Garland, Brown etc,

Future stars: Victor, Chet, Cunningham, Mobley, Keegan, Sengun, Mathurin, Green, Wagner, Williams etc.

Just LOADS of talent.

[CIN-C-STAR]

Yeah I don't understand why people think the Suns are still any kind of a threat.
I've not watched them a ton, admittedly, but when I have they are the laziest, sloppiest playoff team in the league.
It's not just KD, Book is no different. They play entitled, individual basketball, like defense is someone else's job and their job is to hunt highlights and stats on offense.
It's hard for me to imagine their teammates stepping up in the playoffs the way they need to, when this looks like the least fun & rewarding playoff team to play for if you're a role player not named Grayson Allen, who was made to stand away from the ball and shoot 3s.
First round exit is my guess, without even knowing the matchup.

Not sure how this isn't a rewarding team for a role player. You have three guys that are going to do all the scoring for you. You only need to focus on one side of the ball - defense along with setting some screens here and there. That's it. Seems like a role players dream.

Yes I'm sure NBA players love setting screens for someone on one end so they can score, and then getting posterized on the other end because that same guy can't be bothered to run back in transition or stay in front of anyone
I'm sure all those screens will lead to a big pay day in the offseason too so what's not to love?

[tsherkin]

Kevin Durant is still an unstoppable scorer. There is no way a defender (or a defense) can stop him from getting a decent look. That's mostly all he is on offense anymore.

Since his achilles tear, Durant no longer threatens the rim. Prime KD had the whole defense living in fear, because at his size and mobility, he was always one defensive slip up from a dunk or a layup, while also being able to go to a pull up whenever he wants.

This is a great way to describe why he doesn't look like he did in Oklahoma, for sure. And obviously he doesn't enjoy the spacing he had in Golden State, so he doesn't look the same compared to then, either.

Overplaying Durant used to be a no-no, but now defenses can kind of overwhelm him without the fear of him getting to the rim. Against Boston 2 years ago, and Denver last year, the defenses keyed in on Durant and found limiting him to be do-able instead of impossible.

Yeah, this is exactly what happened. His reads are a bit slow, he isn't amazing at getting the skip pass (aka "oh no, he doesn't have Lebron-like vision," in a way) and he can't just blow past multiple defenders.

Durant has always been a "meh" playmaker, and now that you don't have to fear his drive much, you can pressure him a ton and he doesn't punish you with his passing. He's guilty of throwing really weak passes that give the defense a chance to recover against.

This is another good one, "weak passes." He isn't the guy who will be supremely creative against your defense, threading the needle where you least expected it. And he doesn't fire just-in-time bullets, either.

No one can "stop" Durant's pull up game. A pull up game on its own isn't enough to devastate a good defense. It's the exact kind of thing a playoff defense lives with when they try to take away more dangerous stuff.

Yeah. He's also logged 40-44 mpg in each of his past 3 postseasons. The last one in Brooklyn against Boston was rough, obviously, and he wasn't great last year. Wasn't bad, just wasn't dominant. More like what he's doing now. He ripped the Clippers apart, of course, but the Denver series wasn't awesome.

[Soca]

The story is not even his decline, its how freaking toast the Suns are with having him and Beal for 100m+ for multiple years on the payroll.

They're fine with the remaining 2 years on KD's contract. But no denying the Beal contract is ugly.

[UglyBugBall]

Yeah I don't understand why people think the Suns are still any kind of a threat.
I've not watched them a ton, admittedly, but when I have they are the laziest, sloppiest playoff team in the league.
It's not just KD, Book is no different. They play entitled, individual basketball, like defense is someone else's job and their job is to hunt highlights and stats on offense.
It's hard for me to imagine their teammates stepping up in the playoffs the way they need to, when this looks like the least fun & rewarding playoff team to play for if you're a role player not named Grayson Allen, who was made to stand away from the ball and shoot 3s.
First round exit is my guess, without even knowing the matchup.

Not sure how this isn't a rewarding team for a role player. You have three guys that are going to do all the scoring for you. You only need to focus on one side of the ball - defense along with setting some screens here and there. That's it. Seems like a role players dream.

Yes I'm sure NBA players love setting screens for someone on one end so they can score, and then getting posterized on the other end because that same guy can't be bothered to run back in transition or stay in front of anyone
I'm sure all those screens will lead to a big pay day in the offseason too so what's not to love?

So by that logic would role players hate playing with LeBron, Luka, prime harden and Westbrook? Those kind of heliocentric players get role players paid, because role players can focus doing what they do well and leave volume scoring and creation to the stars.

[CIN-C-STAR]

Not sure how this isn't a rewarding team for a role player. You have three guys that are going to do all the scoring for you. You only need to focus on one side of the ball - defense along with setting some screens here and there. That's it. Seems like a role players dream.

Yes I'm sure NBA players love setting screens for someone on one end so they can score, and then getting posterized on the other end because that same guy can't be bothered to run back in transition or stay in front of anyone
I'm sure all those screens will lead to a big pay day in the offseason too so what's not to love?

So by that logic would role players hate playing with LeBron, Luka, prime harden and Westbrook? Those kind of heliocentric players get role players paid, because role players can focus doing what they do well and leave volume scoring and creation to the stars.

Prime Lebron was a great defender, so not sure how he fits in this conversation.
And Lebron, Harden and Luka are all-time great passers who can actually make role players look better than they are and get them paid.
Who on the Suns do you think is comparable? Because I'm definitely not seeing that kind of court vision from Beal, Book or KD.

[RunOKC]

I've watched 5-7 Suns games and I'd say his defense has declined quite a bit

He's a step slower physically and mentally at this point, imo

Still a bucket on offense

[web123888]

35.5 years of age and post Achilles tear. He never had a chance and isn't in the same league as Doncic or Giannis, never mind Jokic. Top 25 player all time probably but not one of the Mt. Rushmore GOATs.