Kevin Durant Will Surpass His Idol LeBron James Before He Retires
As of 2024, Kevin Durant has been one of the main topics in the NBA. Whether it's Durant's opinion that the newer generation of basketball players aren't as good as previous generations or his playing past his prime, he is a "hot-button." KD is at the prime of his career since he decided to join the Phoenix Suns after leaving the Brooklyn Nets in 2023.
Kevin Durant's Overall Performance in the NBA
Throughout his career, KD has been trying to find his dream team in the NBA. From 2007-2011, KD played for the Oklahoma City Thunders (or Supersonics) and never won a championship. On average, KD made 7.0 rebounds, 27.4 points, and 3.0 assists during his time playing for Oklahoma City.
Due to poor sportsmanship and lousy coaching, KD was held back when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunders and decided to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Durant felt like the media was trying to separate the team during his time with the Warriors. Cleaveland Calvilers was their biggest competition because they had two wins since he joined. In the 208 games KD played for Golden State, he had 5.4 assists, 25.8 points, and 7.1 rebounds. Although this is slightly better than KD's performance when he played for Oklahoma City, it wasn't his best, and he knew that, so he left in 2021.
KD joined the Brooklyn Nets after leaving Golden State. Unfortunately, the Nets' poor defense and teamwork held him back. During his time with the Brooklyn Nets, he has never won a single championship. On average, in the 129 games he played for the Nets, he had 5.8 assists, 29.0 points, and 7.1 rebounds.
In 2023, KD joined the Phoenix Suns and is at his career's prime. As I'm writing this on April 30, 2024, Kevin Durant has played 89 games and has an average of 4.3 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 27.5 points per game ever since. Regardless of the outcome, KD will break his NBA record.
The Shadow of LeBron James
Along with his performance, KD has also made headlines for some of the things he said. KD responded to reporters who asked him why he is not considered a GOAT in the NBA by saying, "Why Shouldn't I be in that? That's the question you should be asking. What haven't I done?" Kevin Durant currently has a total of 27,968 career points and is one of the top 10 NBA players in the franchise.
KD's overall performance is very similar to LeBron James's. On Average, James has had an average of 7.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 27.1 points throughout his career, and he has been on four teams. KD also feels like his older teams were holding him back. Despite being on the greatest team of all time (the Golden State Warriors), he has been undependable when his team members needed him the most.
In 2021, KD signed a contract that gave him his team with superstar basketball players, giving him an unfair advantage over other teams. KD's team took every chance any other team would have at winning another basketball series because he had some of the best players from every team drafted onto his team. LeBron James also signed the same contract, so he was almost guaranteed to compete with Kevin Durant.
It's obvious that KD is walking behind LeBron James's legacy. Although KD is only in his 30s and is a competitor to LeBron James when it comes to stats and performance, there is no doubt that he will take on the legacy that his mentor has been trying to achieve for his entire life. By the time KD retires, he may even surpass Michael Jordan.
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