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Always wondered what people thought of his athletic ability. His skills are insane obviously and he's tall.

He is a 7 foot player that has the athleticism/body control/agility of the average 2 guard. I dont think his stand alone athletic abilities for his height are all that freakish, like I think all the Plumlee brothers probably all have higher verticals and are much stronger. I think there are plenty of 4s in the league that are faster in a straight line as well.

The thing that stands out about him really is that he moves like a 6'6 guy and he has skills like an elite 2 guard.

For his height, he’s one of the most athletic players in the league, ever. Extremely quick and mobile. It’s a huge part of what allows him to play on the perimeter and makes him a hall of fame level player.

Now if you want to compare him with just the top wing players of all time like MJ, Bron, Dr J and others, all of which are much shorter in stature, then he won’t seem nearly as athletic.

Tough to speculate now with his injury but a simple YouTube search will reveal he has elite speed and hops for a 7 footer.

Extremely for his height especially. He's also a fluid floor runner with and without the ball.

HE's like an average guard in terms of straight line speed, leaping, quickness, etc.

But he has Tyson Chandler's standing reach, monster wingpan, and he's a deadeye shooter from basically anywhere.

Lemme put it this way -- maybe he'll figure out how to bench press 185 pounds someday.

Not athletics at all.

Compared to other near 7 footers considering how fluid he is and his ball handling, I’d say the only player who surpasses him is Giannis.

You’d be hard pressed to find any others near 7 footers in NBA history who are more athletic than Durant. Simply put the guy is a freak. A guy that tall, that lanky shouldn’t be able to move like that.

XTC wrote:Compared to other near 7 footers considering how fluid he is and his ball handling, I’d say the only player who surpasses him is Giannis.

You’d be hard pressed to find any others near 7 footers in NBA history who are more athletic than Durant. Simply put the guy is a freak. A guy that tall, that lanky shouldn’t be able to move like that.

Agility wise I agree. But overall athleticism Im not sure. Is KD a better athlete than say Marvin Bagley? Bagley is faster, quicker and much more explosive.

Again I think agility wise (he moves like a guard) he is pretty freakish, but his skillset is the most freakish thing about him. KD is pretty much if you took an average athletic 2 guard that had elite skills, then just morphed his body to be 7 feet. So pretty much Khris Middleton of this year just 7 feet tall. That is freakish.

He has the most ridiculous first step I've ever seen. He blows by his primary defender like they aren't even there.

Duke4life831 wrote:

XTC wrote:Compared to other near 7 footers considering how fluid he is and his ball handling, I’d say the only player who surpasses him is Giannis.

You’d be hard pressed to find any others near 7 footers in NBA history who are more athletic than Durant. Simply put the guy is a freak. A guy that tall, that lanky shouldn’t be able to move like that.

Agility wise I agree. But overall athleticism Im not sure. Is KD a better athlete than say Marvin Bagley? Bagley is faster, quicker and much more explosive.

Again I think agility wise (he moves like a guard) he is pretty freakish, but his skillset is the most freakish thing about him. KD is pretty much if you took an average athletic 2 guard that had elite skills, then just morphed his body to be 7 feet. So pretty much Khris Middleton of this year just 7 feet tall. That is freakish.

If we shrunk LeBron down to 6’1 is he any better of an athlete than Eric Bledsoe or Dwyane Wade? Having elite athleticism at a big size is a hard thing to accomplish. It’s why we consider LeBron one of the GOAT athletes. A guy that big, that strong at that size is just unfair. However if we shrunk him down is he any better of an athlete that Bledsoe or Dwyane Wade? IMO that’s a silly question, size should definitely be considered when we talk athleticism.

With that being said I’d say you’re more likely to find the next Lebron athletically, than the next Kevin Durant. A guy with the measurements of a center doing the things he does is just a cheat code.

I consider things like quickness, agility, stamina, and body control to be parts of athleticism. It’s the same reason why I consider players like Curry and Nash better athletes than players like Derozan, Gerald Green, etc... they have transferable traits that that help them athletically In the game of basketball

Kevin Durant has one of the quickest first steps in NBA history, which is what made him so deadly. Combine that with his agility, quickness, and ball handling that is a certified freak out there on the basketball court.

Bagley is a good athlete, but he has few components that translate over to a basketball game.

Call me when bagley can do this

If he was 6'1 we wouldn't be having this conversation.

XTC wrote:

Duke4life831 wrote:

XTC wrote:Compared to other near 7 footers considering how fluid he is and his ball handling, I’d say the only player who surpasses him is Giannis.

You’d be hard pressed to find any others near 7 footers in NBA history who are more athletic than Durant. Simply put the guy is a freak. A guy that tall, that lanky shouldn’t be able to move like that.

Agility wise I agree. But overall athleticism Im not sure. Is KD a better athlete than say Marvin Bagley? Bagley is faster, quicker and much more explosive.

Again I think agility wise (he moves like a guard) he is pretty freakish, but his skillset is the most freakish thing about him. KD is pretty much if you took an average athletic 2 guard that had elite skills, then just morphed his body to be 7 feet. So pretty much Khris Middleton of this year just 7 feet tall. That is freakish.

I consider things like quickness, agility, stamina, and body control to be parts of athleticism. If we took things like vertical and straight line speed to be the end all of athleticism, Derozan would be a top 10 athlete in the NBA which he was not. It’s the same reason why I consider players like Curry and Nash better athletes than players like Derozan, Gerald Green, etc... they have transferable traits that that help them athletically In the game of basketball

Kevin Durant has one of the quickest first steps in NBA history, which is what made him so deadly.

Bagley is a good athlete, but he has few components that translate over to a basketball game.

Call me when bagley can do this

Bagley is a phenomenal leaper, dunking on guys isn't a problem for Bagley. Pretty much everything about Bagley athletically translates to the NBA game, that's why he was an 18/9 guy in just 27 minutes a game towards the end of his rookie season. It was practically all from his hustle and athleticism. Bagley's issues are a lack of skill and awareness. 2 things which are without a doubt freakish and elite for KD.

Again KD got smoked by Greg Oden in practically every athletic drill at the combine. Again you put an average 2 guard athleticism in a 7 foot body, then give him elite guard skills, you get KD.

Duke4life831 wrote:

XTC wrote:Compared to other near 7 footers considering how fluid he is and his ball handling, I’d say the only player who surpasses him is Giannis.

You’d be hard pressed to find any others near 7 footers in NBA history who are more athletic than Durant. Simply put the guy is a freak. A guy that tall, that lanky shouldn’t be able to move like that.

Agility wise I agree. But overall athleticism Im not sure. Is KD a better athlete than say Marvin Bagley? Bagley is faster, quicker and much more explosive.

Again I think agility wise (he moves like a guard) he is pretty freakish, but his skillset is the most freakish thing about him. KD is pretty much if you took an average athletic 2 guard that had elite skills, then just morphed his body to be 7 feet. So pretty much Khris Middleton of this year just 7 feet tall. That is freakish.

KD has like 3 inches on Bagley though. Bagley is a lot closer to Lebron size than KD

mademan wrote:

Duke4life831 wrote:

XTC wrote:Compared to other near 7 footers considering how fluid he is and his ball handling, I’d say the only player who surpasses him is Giannis.

You’d be hard pressed to find any others near 7 footers in NBA history who are more athletic than Durant. Simply put the guy is a freak. A guy that tall, that lanky shouldn’t be able to move like that.

Agility wise I agree. But overall athleticism Im not sure. Is KD a better athlete than say Marvin Bagley? Bagley is faster, quicker and much more explosive.

Again I think agility wise (he moves like a guard) he is pretty freakish, but his skillset is the most freakish thing about him. KD is pretty much if you took an average athletic 2 guard that had elite skills, then just morphed his body to be 7 feet. So pretty much Khris Middleton of this year just 7 feet tall. That is freakish.

KD has like 3 inches on Bagley though. Bagley is a lot closer to Lebron size than KD

Size wise they didnt look too drastically different from each other last year when they played. But Bagley was just a random example. Again to be clear, Im not saying KD is a bad athlete. I think athletically speaking he is like an average 2 guard, just in a near 7 foot body. He is definitely in the high percentile when it comes to athleticism for his size no doubt.

But I think the things that stand out most and are most freakish about KD is his elite guard skills in a 7 foot body, to go with the agility of an average guard. That is a freakish combination.

I feel like a big part of how KD's athleticism is perceived has to do with his skills. His dribbling for instance and long first step with it are what really give the perception of him having great athleticism. It sort of goes without saying but in bb if you can't dribble the ball you can't do much with your athleticism offensively speaking. So that combined with his ability to pull up and shoot over almost anyone make his athleticism seem greater than it actually is imo. Its still good but its not close to elite.

XTC wrote:

Duke4life831 wrote:

XTC wrote:Compared to other near 7 footers considering how fluid he is and his ball handling, I’d say the only player who surpasses him is Giannis.

You’d be hard pressed to find any others near 7 footers in NBA history who are more athletic than Durant. Simply put the guy is a freak. A guy that tall, that lanky shouldn’t be able to move like that.

Agility wise I agree. But overall athleticism Im not sure. Is KD a better athlete than say Marvin Bagley? Bagley is faster, quicker and much more explosive.

Again I think agility wise (he moves like a guard) he is pretty freakish, but his skillset is the most freakish thing about him. KD is pretty much if you took an average athletic 2 guard that had elite skills, then just morphed his body to be 7 feet. So pretty much Khris Middleton of this year just 7 feet tall. That is freakish.

If we shrunk LeBron down to 6’1 is he any better of an athlete than Eric Bledsoe or Dwyane Wade? Having elite athleticism at a big size is a hard thing to accomplish. It’s why we consider LeBron one of the GOAT athletes. A guy that big, that strong at that size is just unfair. However if we shrunk him down is he any better of an athlete that Bledsoe or Dwyane Wade? IMO that’s a silly question, size should definitely be considered when we talk athleticism.

With that being said I’d say you’re more likely to find the next Lebron athletically, than the next Kevin Durant. A guy with the measurements of a center doing the things he does is just a cheat code.

I consider things like quickness, agility, stamina, and body control to be parts of athleticism. It’s the same reason why I consider players like Curry and Nash better athletes than players like Derozan, Gerald Green, etc... they have transferable traits that that help them athletically In the game of basketball

Kevin Durant has one of the quickest first steps in NBA history, which is what made him so deadly. Combine that with his agility, quickness, and ball handling that is a certified freak out there on the basketball court.

Bagley is a good athlete, but he has few components that translate over to a basketball game.

Call me when bagley can do this

FWIW, I think LeBron's open court speed is about as fast as DWade's even if his first step was never there. LeBron has always jumped a good 6 inches higher than DWade and his body control and balance are nearly as good as DWade's. His stamina is better than any athlete's ever. LeBron is more athletic than Bledsoe any way you slice it. Better balance, even more bounce, better open court spped, better reflexes, etc. LeBron at 6'3" is still as athletic as DWade, at least

Duke4life831 wrote:

XTC wrote:

Duke4life831 wrote:
Agility wise I agree. But overall athleticism Im not sure. Is KD a better athlete than say Marvin Bagley? Bagley is faster, quicker and much more explosive.

Again I think agility wise (he moves like a guard) he is pretty freakish, but his skillset is the most freakish thing about him. KD is pretty much if you took an average athletic 2 guard that had elite skills, then just morphed his body to be 7 feet. So pretty much Khris Middleton of this year just 7 feet tall. That is freakish.

I consider things like quickness, agility, stamina, and body control to be parts of athleticism. If we took things like vertical and straight line speed to be the end all of athleticism, Derozan would be a top 10 athlete in the NBA which he was not. It’s the same reason why I consider players like Curry and Nash better athletes than players like Derozan, Gerald Green, etc... they have transferable traits that that help them athletically In the game of basketball

Kevin Durant has one of the quickest first steps in NBA history, which is what made him so deadly.

Bagley is a good athlete, but he has few components that translate over to a basketball game.

Call me when bagley can do this

Bagley is a phenomenal leaper, dunking on guys isn't a problem for Bagley. Pretty much everything about Bagley athletically translates to the NBA game, that's why he was an 18/9 guy in just 27 minutes a game towards the end of his rookie season. It was practically all from his hustle and athleticism. Bagley's issues are a lack of skill and awareness. 2 things which are without a doubt freakish and elite for KD.

Again KD got smoked by Greg Oden in practically every athletic drill at the combine. Again you put an average 2 guard athleticism in a 7 foot body, then give him elite guard skills, you get KD.

I think KD's really improved athletically since he entered the league. He's gotten much stronger and he can get his head at rim level, which means his vertical is over 35 inches or so. Those combine tests can be kinda underselling at times.

Greg Oden was such a specimen