Who had the better rookie season: '08 Durant vs. '09 Westbrook

[SelakStreet]

Durant averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 boards and 2.4 dimes in 34-35 minutes per game as a starting swingman SG/SF from the day he first entered the NBA, while Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 4.9 boards and 5.3 dimes in 32 minutes per game in '09 (with flashes of his triple-double machine potential he would later display) but started the first 18 games of his career initially as a backup behind Earl Watson before taking over the starting point guard job from him, and would go on to become a starter.

[Doctor MJ]

So, I can't help but note something ugly here:

Durant in both of his first two years had astonishingly bad +/-. Worst in the league as a rookie, 3rd worst in the league in his second year far worse than Westbrook.

There's more to how good a player is than how he looks by these stats, but what's definitely the case is that the way OKC used KD was geared toward letting him act as a star right from the jump not because they thought they could win that way, but because it was what they wanted him to eventually become. Not necessarily anything wrong with that - arguably quite smart - but in terms of Durant's ability to actually help a team win playing this way, he clearly was not ready and as a result may have had the least valuable rookie season, and least valuable first 2 seasons, of any future HOFer in history.

[OhayoKD]

So, I can't help but note something ugly here:

Durant in both of his first two years had astonishingly bad +/-. Worst in the league as a rookie, 3rd worst in the league in his second year far worse than Westbrook.

There's more to how good a player is than how he looks by these stats, but what's definitely the case is that the way OKC used KD was geared toward letting him act as a star right from the jump not because they thought they could win that way, but because it was what they wanted him to eventually become. Not necessarily anything wrong with that - arguably quite smart - but in terms of Durant's ability to actually help a team win playing this way, he clearly was not ready and as a result may have had the least valuable rookie season, and least valuable first 2 seasons, of any future HOFer in history.

I think I prefer "westbrook, leader of men, taught KD how to be a winner"