Kevin Durant

[Biff]

I too think Durant will average around 29-31 for the rest of his career (until he starts breaking down), but to say he'll average 35 is a bit much; and why would he even want to average that much? Were the Lakers any good when Kobe averaged 35? How about the Bulls when Jordan averaged 37? They were playoff teams, but not contenders.

So if he has a terrible supporting cast when he's 27-28, yeah he might average 35, but I think he'd rather average 28-29 and be contending for a championship.

[Jimmy Recard]

I remember someone saying that he would be a taller jamal crawford

I remember someone saying that he would be a black Adam Morrison.

[ISB]

I remember someone saying that he would be a taller jamal crawford

I remember someone saying that he would be a black Adam Morrison.

That was back when Hawks fans were trying to argue that Horford was better.... Kind of like some blazer fans STILL do with Oden.

[siriusjames]

OMG is he a basketball player?

[D-31]

Sorry.. anyone who is still spouting off on Kevin Durant's defense plainly hasn't watched any Thunder games at all. Don't tell me to focus on Durant and only Durant; I've watched every Thunder game this season and have made a point to chart the games defensively (I'll even send you the spreadsheet if you'd like). Kevin Durant is the leader on both sides of the court. Scott Brooks definitely deserves credit for implementing a defensive scheme that works for the most part with our roster, but the players are the ones making it happen. He's not a game changing defender (yet), but he's playing good defense just like the rest of the team.

Opposing SF's shoot 42.6% from the field against the Thunder (seventh best in the league) and OKC is 2nd best in the league in opponent eFG%. Considering the fact that we lack any dominant interior defenders, anyone could conclude that the basis for our defensive success are our perimeter defensive habits, ball rotations, switching, etc. of which Kevin Durant is a huge part of.

As for records, Kevin Durant is currently above .600 TS% and on pace for over 1600 FGA. The only non centers to do that since 1980: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Glen Rice (three point line moved in).

Yes, I'd love to see that spreasheet tracking defensive plays. As most fans just seem to watch the ball. Maybe I just got unlucky watching Durant, but I really doubt it.

As for records, the original poster said he had broken pretty much every record for a player at his age. Which seems like it's either a lie or it's so specific it's not really a record anyone cares about.

The thing that really excites me about Durant is he has that MJ and Kobe icyness and competitiveness. These guys have the eye of the tiger. They just want it. They are KILLERS. It's the one reason I don't know if Lebron can reach Jordan status. Jordan's insane competitiveness maybe doubled his titles. What always impressed me most about Jordan's career was 97 and 98. How easy would it have been to fade away after 96, when you've won 4 titles, had the best season ever, and proved yourself as basically the best and most famous player ever. Chuck Daly talked about how the Bad Boy Pistons broke down from a motivational/mental standpoint after 2 titles and 3 long playoff runs in a row. Shaq checked out after his 3 titles with the Lakers. Kareem checked out in 89. Going all the way and that hard in 97 and 98 again when you're 34/35 and had nothing more to prove, prove Michael's worth more than any of the other titles, IMO

Are you forgetting that Jordan quit the game of basketball for a year and a half? Perhaps the Bad Boys and Shaq should have taken a 1 1/2 year vacation.

[ISB]

OMG is he a basketball player?

Haha, I actually played craps with Durant in the Bahamas this summer, which I assume is where that picture was taken.

[CzBoobie]

The thing that really excites me about Durant is he has that MJ and Kobe icyness and competitiveness. These guys have the eye of the tiger. They just want it. They are KILLERS. It's the one reason I don't know if Lebron can reach Jordan status. Jordan's insane competitiveness maybe doubled his titles. What always impressed me most about Jordan's career was 97 and 98. How easy would it have been to fade away after 96, when you've won 4 titles, had the best season ever, and proved yourself as basically the best and most famous player ever. Chuck Daly talked about how the Bad Boy Pistons broke down from a motivational/mental standpoint after 2 titles and 3 long playoff runs in a row. Shaq checked out after his 3 titles with the Lakers. Kareem checked out in 89. Going all the way and that hard in 97 and 98 again when you're 34/35 and had nothing more to prove, prove Michael's worth more than any of the other titles, IMO

Lebron's closest comparison from a personality/mental standpoint is Magic, but we never saw how he'd evolve late in his career so I'll to pick another: Shaq, who is similarly a physical freak like Bron. There's a reason Shaq has 3 titles and Jordan has 6. You could easily take a couple off the table for Jordan if he fell off motivationally like Shaq, and you could likewise add a couple for Shaq if he was up in 99, 03, 04, and you could've added more if he was commited enough to winning to divert to Kobe when he got older. This shows the massive impact of that killer instict on Jordan and Shaq's careers

LeBron is not competitive enough and lacks killer instinct? What is that, 2006?

[tsherkin]

I don't understand how you can talk him up, talking about how easily he can score, and then say he can't keep get near an average of 30ppg's (that he has in his third season, at the age of 21) in his prime.

I think you're missing my point. What I was saying is that we shouldn't be expecting a 3- or 4-year run where he has 30+ ppg every season. Could he score 30+ more than once in his career? Sure. Could he stick around 27+ ppg? Probably, if he keeps playing the way he has the last season and a half or so, yeah.

Is he going to average 9.8 FTA/g every year, when even Wade's FTA/g numbers are declining, and what about how herelies heavily on his 3pt shot and jumper in general?

I'm not saying Durant's going to magically regress to 20 ppg or something, but given the above, and that coaches tend to manage player minutes more closely as team quality increases (and Durant's improvement is directly correlated with OKC's improvement), I'm inclined to believe that, like Lebron (who has only scored 30+ ppg twice, despite coming close several times), KD will not be regularly posting 30+ ppg as a seasonal average.

That's all I was saying.

That's why i'm pretty sure he's gonna be around 30ppg for a long time

Around, sure. I consider 27 "around" 30 ppg. And I think he'll probably toss in a 28 here, a 29 there, maybe a few 30s. It's tough to tell, he's young and I misjudged him once, so it's even tougher to reconsider objectively.

But given what I know of Wade and Lebron and Kobe (who has himself scored 30+ only 3 times and done it consecutively only in a two-year span), I am just of the opinion that Durant will be peaking at 30-ish ppg given the nature of the modern game, coaching, percentages and his style.

[Lionel Messi]

Im surprised Durant was doubted so much.

The first time i saw this kid i knew he'd be an elite-level scorer in the NBA. He has that special magical touch that not many players have. Not to mention he was a 6'10 wing player with one of the smoothest games you'll ever see.

tsherkin, you were flat out wrong.

[wiff]

I don't understand how you can talk him up, talking about how easily he can score, and then say he can't keep get near an average of 30ppg's (that he has in his third season, at the age of 21) in his prime.

I think you're missing my point. What I was saying is that we shouldn't be expecting a 3- or 4-year run where he has 30+ ppg every season. Could he score 30+ more than once in his career? Sure. Could he stick around 27+ ppg? Probably, if he keeps playing the way he has the last season and a half or so, yeah.

Is he going to average 9.8 FTA/g every year, when even Wade's FTA/g numbers are declining, and what about how herelies heavily on his 3pt shot and jumper in general?

I'm not saying Durant's going to magically regress to 20 ppg or something, but given the above, and that coaches tend to manage player minutes more closely as team quality increases (and Durant's improvement is directly correlated with OKC's improvement), I'm inclined to believe that, like Lebron (who has only scored 30+ ppg twice, despite coming close several times), KD will not be regularly posting 30+ ppg as a seasonal average.

That's all I was saying.

That's why i'm pretty sure he's gonna be around 30ppg for a long time

Around, sure. I consider 27 "around" 30 ppg. And I think he'll probably toss in a 28 here, a 29 there, maybe a few 30s. It's tough to tell, he's young and I misjudged him once, so it's even tougher to reconsider objectively.

But given what I know of Wade and Lebron and Kobe (who has himself scored 30+ only 3 times and done it consecutively only in a two-year span), I am just of the opinion that Durant will be peaking at 30-ish ppg given the nature of the modern game, coaching, percentages and his style.

Oh tsherkin when are you going to give in to the power of Durantula? I remember when you said he would have a hard time hitting 30pts a game because he doesn't get to the line enough. Well now at age 21 he gets to the line more than anyone in the league.

Best part about it is that he doesn't get to the line the same way Wade does by crashing into the lane creating contact and having to pound the hardwood fall after fall. He simply waits until a defender puts his hand on him and he rips his hands through the defenders arms and goes up with a shot and get called for the foul. It's beautiful and masterful and way beyond his years.

Also as far as his 3pt% goes he isn't a high elevator when it comes to his jump shots. He is so long he simply goes up with his long arms and takes a little hop. He doesn't elevate much at all. His 3pt shooting will go up or stay consistent even when the rest of his numbers go down and he has gray in his beard.

[tsherkin]

tsherkin, you were flat out wrong.

Yep, I was. 6'10+ skinny players are my kryptonite in terms of prediction. I'd learned my lesson from Kwame and made sure to see if the guy was a flat-out (Please Use More Appropriate Word) before I opened my mouth, and he wasn't, but then they decided to play him at the 2, which was bloody (Please Use More Appropriate Word), and he hadn't adjusted to NBA 3pt range and what-not and... So many things, ugh. Missed BAD on that one.

[wiff]

tsherkin, you were flat out wrong.

Yep, I was. 6'10+ skinny players are my kryptonite in terms of prediction. I'd learned my lesson from Kwame and made sure to see if the guy was a flat-out (Please Use More Appropriate Word) before I opened my mouth, and he wasn't, but then they decided to play him at the 2, which was bloody (Please Use More Appropriate Word), and he hadn't adjusted to NBA 3pt range and what-not and... So many things, ugh. Missed BAD on that one.

Oh you weren't the only one. Just ask Sir Charles and Kevin Pritchard.

But at this point it's hard to bet against what the kid will do. In about 25% of the games this year the kid has gone for 30pts and 10rebs. A super skinny 21yr old throwing those numbers around every 4th game is nuts. Plus his defense has improved drastically.

Sure logic says it's going to be hard for the kid to average 35pts for a season or 30pts for consecutive seasons but the kid defies logic. Every now and then a guy comes along who is special like Bird, Magic, MJ, Kobe or LeBron.

If the kid can stay healthy he's will be in that stratusphere of names.

[tsherkin]

It's possible. The only reason I'm really reticent is that no one else is doing it. Kobe could have... but he scaled back in order to win more. Wade and Lebron could, but both are scaling back either to preserve themselves for the playoffs or (in LBJ's case) to facilitate more winning.

I just think that Durant will stick to the high-20s in average for the most part (not that he can't average a 30 ppg season here or there, based on what we've seen), even if the capacity to do otherwise is there. It doesn't always make sense from a winning perspective to have your lead scorer gunning for 30 every night, you know? Especially not if he's only playing 36, 37 mpg.

Still, it is a tough call; if he settles into being a regular 40% 3PT guy (and he showed he could do it on a season last year) and maintains anything like the FTA/g he's getting this year, pretty much anything's possible, I suppose.

[Jimmy76]

It's possible. The only reason I'm really reticent is that no one else is doing it. Kobe could have... but he scaled back in order to win more. Wade and Lebron could, but both are scaling back either to preserve themselves for the playoffs or (in LBJ's case) to facilitate more winning.

I just think that Durant will stick to the high-20s in average for the most part (not that he can't average a 30 ppg season here or there, based on what we've seen), even if the capacity to do otherwise is there. It doesn't always make sense from a winning perspective to have your lead scorer gunning for 30 every night, you know? Especially not if he's only playing 36, 37 mpg.

Still, it is a tough call; if he settles into being a regular 40% 3PT guy (and he showed he could do it on a season last year) and maintains anything like the FTA/g he's getting this year, pretty much anything's possible, I suppose.

Honestly as his supporting cast starts stepping up I dont think the shots for 35ppg will be there

im sure he could if the Thunder just said "hey lets see if Durant can get 35ppg!" but I dont think it would be the best way to play winning basketball

career high 20's sounds right

[slick_watts]

I think in terms of both his impact on the game and in historical context Kevin Durant's scoring efficiency matters more than his points per game. He's got a TS over 60% right now, and he had a TS close to 60% last year until he hurt his ankle as well. Pretty tough to do as a wing player with his kind of usage.

[tsherkin]

I think in terms of both his impact on the game and in historical context Kevin Durant's scoring efficiency matters more than his points per game. He's got a TS over 60% right now, and he had a TS close to 60% last year until he hurt his ankle as well. Pretty tough to do as a wing player with his kind of usage.

His efficiency is certainly remarkable, yes. I'm curious to see if he'll maintain the sort of FTA/g that Dwyane Wade was getting in 05 and 06, but aside from that, even if the FTA/g dropped off to like 8 per game, he'd still be scoring at a hellaciously efficient rate for a guy who shoots that many jumpers. He's a filthy shooter.

EDIT: And obviously a multidimensional scorer.

[breaker91]

The thing that really excites me about Durant is he has that MJ and Kobe icyness and competitiveness. These guys have the eye of the tiger. They just want it. They are KILLERS......

So what does this have to do with a Kevin Durant thread? Because Durant DOES have that killer instinct. Durant is motivated, big time. If there's a guy who can hit that Jordan level of mental domination and intimidation and winning by power of will in this league, I think it's Kevin Durant.

This is the one thing about Kevin Durant that I strongly disagree about. I have heard all about his legendary work ethic, but there is a big difference between wanting it and doing it. Durant has yet to prove he can be a successful clutch player.

Even with OKC exceeding expectations hey came up 0 for 2 with the game on the line this past month. And if you look up 82games.com players there is a long list of players scoring at a better clip than him in the last 5 minutes of the 4th and into OT.

Extrapolating his clutch scoring average out to per 48 minutes brings KD's scoring to 33 points on a 39.3 FG% and 42.6 eFG%.

Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson are at 36. Chris Paul, Melo, Dirk, Chris Bosh all for in the 40-45 point range. Kobe is at 56 points and Lebron is at 66 points.

[Jimmy76]

^
part of the problem is that OKC just does iso's and clearouts repeatedly in the 4th for some reason and its far from the best way to use Durant

he's been clutch at the line

yea he could improve in that area

but overall play>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>clutch

[KeithMoonsLiver]

he's alright, but greg oden is way better [/typical blazers fan]

[Dr Positivity]

The thing that really excites me about Durant is he has that MJ and Kobe icyness and competitiveness. These guys have the eye of the tiger. They just want it. They are KILLERS. It's the one reason I don't know if Lebron can reach Jordan status. Jordan's insane competitiveness maybe doubled his titles. What always impressed me most about Jordan's career was 97 and 98. How easy would it have been to fade away after 96, when you've won 4 titles, had the best season ever, and proved yourself as basically the best and most famous player ever. Chuck Daly talked about how the Bad Boy Pistons broke down from a motivational/mental standpoint after 2 titles and 3 long playoff runs in a row. Shaq checked out after his 3 titles with the Lakers. Kareem checked out in 89. Going all the way and that hard in 97 and 98 again when you're 34/35 and had nothing more to prove, prove Michael's worth more than any of the other titles, IMO

Are you forgetting that Jordan quit the game of basketball for a year and a half? Perhaps the Bad Boys and Shaq should have taken a 1 1/2 year vacation.

Jordan got suspended for gambling