Kevin. Durant. What more must I say?
It’s truly remarkable the type of stretch we’ve seen him put together over the past week or so, shooting a ridiculous 64 percent from the field and 63 percent from beyond the arc in his last five games entering Wednesday. Every game he’s played in has become a must-watch. He’s taking the fact that Russell Westbrook is out as an opportunity to showcase his unique scoring ability. He’s taken the league by storm. He’s just 25.
And, at age 25, he’s shooting marginally better from the field, much better from three and averaging more points and rebounds per 36 minutes than LeBron James did when he was 25. We have ourselves a true battle not only for MVP, but for all-time ranking.
It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Kevin Durant could one day be better than LeBron James was/is in his prime. After all, we don’t know what Kevin Durant’s prime will look like, as he’s entering it. He’s yet to reach his peak. That’s a scary thought, eh?
Looking further into his streak, and his season, there are signs that he is the entire makeup of the Thunder.
He’s contributed to 30 percent of all the team’s assists when he’s on the floor, and a whopping 71 percent of the shots he’s made have come without an assist. He is truly picking this Thunder team up and carrying it on his back. They’re 36-10 in an extremely difficult Western Conference, down their second-best player.
Listed at 6-foot-9-inches and 240 pounds, he moves like a gazelle through the lane and can finish with ease, and he’s a force outside the arc. He has the ability to block shots (he’s averaging more per 36 minutes than James did at 25, too), and, as he’s shown a few times over the past month, he’s incredibly clutch. The tools are certainly there for Kevin Durant to be something special.
We’ve waited for years now for the next Jordan type. Players like Tracy McGrady and Jerry Sackhouse would give you small glimmers of hope that they could come close to what Jordan was able to put together, but they’d fade. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying Kevin Durant could one day enter the NBA’s Top-10 all-time players.
It’s a long ways from now, but we began to think these types of things about LeBron James when he was 25. Durant is the first player to score 30 points in 11 straight games since 2002-03. There’s something special about Kevin Durant.
He’s still got a ways to go before he attains Jordan-level success. Heck, LeBron James has a ways to go before the gets there. But, Kevin Durant is one of the most complete players in the game today; there are no other players with the offensive repertoire that Durant and James have playing in the NBA. And we have the opportunity to watch them on a night-in, night-out basis.
Cherish it. Watch every minute you can.
— Kenny Ducey
