Kevin Durant really hates being No. 2.
They made an entire ad campaign about his being the No. 2 pick in the draft and No. 2 in MVP voting in 2013. So imagine what he's going to feel when he gets bumped down to third because of Anthony Davis. Or fourth because of Stephen Curry. Or maybe even fifth because some may feel his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook surpassed him last season.
Imagine his anger, his brooding temper boiling over with each passing media interaction looking to use chicanery for a headline sound byte, recognizing the conversation about more than just LeBron James being ahead of him on the hierarchy of the NBA. It's being considered on a daily basis, wondering if we have new shiny objects to exult as the top player in the game. There seems to be a hindrance in bringing Durant -- who scored 22 points with six rebounds in his return to the court Wednesday against the Spurs -- back to the forefront of the conversation.
The skepticism of his return is understandable. After what we've seen with various injured stars over the past five years, you don't want to get your hopes up with his return. The foot fracture is tricky, especially for someone of Durant's height. Although if he says he's 100 percent and the team says he's 100 percent and he's looking like the KD of old, maybe it's time to breathe a sigh of relief.
If you're able to do that, you're easily able to remember the 2014 MVP and the best scorer in the world is back on the court and ready to do real damage. From 2009-2014, Durant won four of the five scoring titles and led the NBA in total points all five seasons. It's his complete offensive game that fuels the scoring, and the fact that you just can't do anything with him for a defensive game plan.
Crowd him. Body him. Try to hypnotize him? It doesn't matter. He's great in the post. He's a fighter jet in transition. But he does the majority of his work demoralizing defenses with the pick-and-roll and in isolation. He's a decent passer in both situations, but he makes his mark by breaking you down with his lethal shot.
| Kevin Durant's Scoring Efficiency The Last Two Seasons | ||||
| Type | PPP | League Avg. | eFG% | Percentile |
| 13-14 Pick-and-roll | 1.006 | 0.798 | 54.2% | 97th |
| 13-14 Isolation | 1.113 | 0.840 | 54.1% | 95th |
| 14-15 Pick-and-roll | 0.931 | 0.785 | 51.5% | 89th |
| 14-15 Isolation | 1.250 | 1.106 | 64.1% | 99th |
When you look at his point per possession numbers in isolation and pick-and-roll, you can marvel at the efficiency and ranking while possibly forgetting he's the focal point of the opposing defense. The best defender is pretty much always on him, usually with the second best defender shading his way. It doesn't matter because he scores from all over the floor. Just look at his shooting charts from the MVP 2013-14 season and then even in his 27-game 2014-15 campaign.
What do you do? No seriously, what are you supposed to do with him?
He's a 6-foot-11 combo guard who can make every shot there is. When he's running these quick-hitting pick-and-roll plays, you simply can't let him turn the corner coming around the screen. Once that outside shoulder turns in and he starts moving toward the basket, he's typically a step or two away from taking off for a massive dunk or getting a layup against the futile contact of a helpless helper.
He changes direction with the crossover so effortlessly, can go with either hand, and treats most defenders like those cutouts in the Skills Competition nobody watches at the All-Star Saturday Night events.
Let's say you do slide your feet enough to keep him from turning that shoulder. Then you have to have the balance, reach, and timing to then move toward him and challenge or crowd his jump shot. It might come in the form of a step-back or a runner, but it's coming with deft accuracy.
And they just rain from everywhere. Remember those shot charts above? There really isn't a weak spot anywhere on them. He was like 32 percent from the left wing 3 one year, and even then it's not enough to give your defense a great boost or chance. He navigates around those screens and then with the trailing defender like an expert game of Frogger. Just picking his spots.
He doesn't need the screen to get free though. He'll put the defender on an island and have them sending desperate smoke signals looking for salvation. You can't even say he's a video game any more because most of the games have made it nearly impossible -- or at least a very long journey of purchasing skill points -- to have a 6-foot-11 guy with his kind of skill set.
Just watch him operate going to the basket.
The fact that he can put up the floater in the lane with that high release point means the defender gets stumped trying to make the right decision. If you commit to fast, he'll blow by you and probably get a dunk. Too slow and he's getting that floater off. That's if you even see him attack with enough time to give you a chance at a proper reaction.
The funny thing about defending his jumper is even when guys do a good job against Durant in these isolation situations, you're leaving it up to chance because you just can't block it or affect it.
That's not to take anything away from the other players or scorers in the world. LeBron is amazing. James Harden is a wizard with the basketball. Steph Curry appears to be some kind of alien defense system technology. But there just isn't anybody who creates shots and scoring opportunities like Durant, and it seems bizarre that there's more focus on his free agency in 8-9 months than the fact that he could win his first title this season.
And he doesn't just score, by the way. The last three seasons he's had an assist percentage in the 20s. Two years ago, he held the man he was defending to a lower shooting percentage by 6.5 percent. Even in his injury-riddled 2014-15 season, it was a minus-4.3 percent overall and minus-10.5 percent inside of six feet. He literally does it all at an elite level.
This season, assuming hs health holds up, Durant will ferociously remind us of what we're missing and what will be enticing this summer. His free agency is as important as LeBron's was in 2010. And it's probably more important than LeBron's was in 2014. And you don't have to dismiss LeBron or Harden or Curry or Davis as you rattle off the greatness in this league.
Just don't forget that No. 35 in Oklahoma City is the best thing we've got going right now.
