When against a big man, Kevin Durant has the agility and handles to beat him off the dribble. Not many guards could reach that from a triple-threat position. His release point is more than 11+ feet in the air when he rises for a three. His 3-point shot is lethal and almost unblockable. Everyone ahead of him has at least 1000 games played, so it’s not too far-fetched to imagine Kevin Durant ending up at least 5th on the NBA All-Time Leading Scorers List, ahead of the likes of NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaquille O’Neal.įrom an offensive perspective, he can do everything offensively to put the ball in the rim. He’s currently 19th on the NBA All-Time list with 25,896 points in only 951 games. It’s challenging to argue against this, given everything he’s done throughout his career. Many would agree that Durant is the most prolific scorer the league has ever seen. This season, Durant looks to chase for his third ring alongside Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, though rough waters continue to rock the ship as the Brooklyn Nets started the season with a 5-7 record. He’d cap off the decade by signing with the Brooklyn Nets alongside Kyrie Irving and James Harden. He’d win the MVP with the Thunder for the 2014 season, winning two NBA championships and two Finals MVPs with the Warriors from 2017 to 2019. The rest of the decade would see Kevin Durant’s rise to stardom. His coming out party would come a couple of seasons later as he would appear at his first NBA finals as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2011-2012 season. ![]() Kevin would win Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Seattle SuperSonics (remember that team?). Kevin’s career would prove the doubters wrong. Sure, he was an offensively skilled debut though not many teams were sold on his being a great offensive player. He was a talented big man on the defensive end with an NBA-ready body that league officials believed would translate to an offensive skillset in the post. At the time, Oden was considered a can’t-miss prospect – someone similar to Dwight Howard or Shaquille O’neal all those years ago. When the draft time came, Kevin Durant was selected second overall behind Greg Oden. You can imagine how tall and skinny Durant must have appeared to GMs and scouts as he stood as tall as many power forwards while only weighing as much as a guard. High School and DraftĪt his draft combine, Kevin Durant stood at 6’9″, 215 lbs with a 7’4.75″ wingspan and a standing reach of 9’2″ inches. ![]() It’s the player archetype that NBA fans and management have obsessed about for the past decade – and Kevin Durant was arguably the first. Looking back, Kevin Durant must have been considered the first coming off a basketball unicorn, the nickname for players with a unique blend of size, skill, and athleticism. Before his senior year, Durant would grow 5 inches before the start of the season and begin the year as a 6’7″ small forward. Throughout his entire high school career, much of what separated Kevin Durant from his peers was his length. Kevin Durant was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Maryland. Kevin Durant Kevin Durant – Image via Getty Images
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