Kevin Durant had a pretty incredible season when he was healthy. At the beginning of the season he was far and away the best player on the Warriors and his impact on the defensive side of the ball was huge. But when he went down with an injury the Warriors noticeably struggled without him. After spending as much time as they did getting used to playing with him they had to adjust to life without him.
The Warriors had figured everything out once Durant returned and entered the playoffs ready to dominate. Durant was still a dominant force to finish off the season, but that time missed docked him just enough in the eyes of the media to drop him down to second-team All-NBA. Durant said he wasn't too bothered by it, but he did say he believes he should have been on the first team.
Kevin Durant on the All-NBA teams pic.twitter.com/SW1dhXwJH4
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 18, 2017
"If one of you leave somebody off that average that many points. You'll get killed on Twitter right? It's a lot of pressure, it's hard to come up with those teams man. So many players had great seasons. It's kinda hard to put guys on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd team, cause so many guys played well this year. Just grateful to be a part of the list. Obviously I feel like I should be a first team player, but it is what it is. Just keep working, keep getting better, keep building the foundation I set 10 years ago."
Durant made it very clear how well everybody has played this season, and that he's happy to just be on the All-NBA list, but it's no surprise that he is saying he should have been first-team All-NBA. He's a former MVP and when he did play this season he was incredible. Great players believe in themselves and great players believe they're good enough to receive every accolade. Deep in Durant's mind he probably believes he should be MVP too. That's the kind of mindset a superstar should have.