How good is Kevin Durant really?

[osh kosh bosh]

I came across this article on ESPN true hoop, that made the point that despite Kevin Durants transcendent scoring abilities his teammates perform better whenhe is off the court rather than on it. You can read it here. Apparently Kevin Durant caught wind of this and posted this gibberish.

Everybody that is doubtin me as a player and my team as a whole..all i can say is that we all are tryin and workin our hardest
What more do u want? let me be the player i am...i come to practice everyday..and push myself to my limit, God has put me n a gr8 position!!
I love all the REAL basketball fans who appreciate hardwork, passion and love for the game..and not jus "plus and minuses"...wateva dat is!
The ESPN blog responded with this.

Essentially have over hyped this kid? Are we all suckers for big time scorers with versatile move sets like Kevin Durant? People posting articles that he couldbe better than LeBron, an MVP candidate and on team USA, have we all conveniently glossed over some serious flaws in his game and in essence the reason peopleplay the game? Winning. are Kevin Durant type players ever conducive to actually winning? History says no.

Kevin Durant is a offensive prospect for the ages limitless range, automatic mid range game and a strong crafty post player at 20 years old he was top 5 in theleague in scoring. But, he is a below average rebounder, a completely unwilling passer, and let's faces a pretty weak defensive player. Other than hisscoring does Kevin Durant grade out to be above average in any are of the game?

and then there's the matter of his plus/minus the whole team performs way better when he is not on the court, and adjusted place minus (plus minus adjustedfro the competition your teammates face and other factors) is just as horrendous, one of the reasons NBA statiscal analysis has been openly excepted by coaches(unlike baseball) is becuase it comfirms what many coaches have been saying all along, guys who take a lot of shots too score a lot of points are oftenoverrated(Kevin Durant -7.4, while guys who rebound, play defense, and are smart and willing passers are often underrated. (Russel Wesrtbrook +5.59)


While I personally think Kevin Durant will be a great player someday, but I I posted it in the team USA hype thread, were putting Durant in class of players hehasn't proved he belongs in but there are question marks about his game that everyone seems to be forgetting, because untill he starts actually making histeammates better he should not be mentioned int he same breath as LeBron, Kobe or CP3.

 

[xbraveheartx]

He's not up there yet, but in a couple years he'll be up there as with LeBron.

 

[jpzx]

Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

I came across this article on ESPN

Stopped reading.

 

[frank 7he t4nk]

Kevin Durant will put in work this year. Book it.

But seriously, I think he'll be great. There are definitely holes in his game, such assists, and he could definitely rebound more but, from what I'veread, he definitely practices a lot and had a good work ethic unlike some of the other talented players in the league, so I think he'll be fine.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Originally Posted by JPZx

Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

I came across this article on ESPN

Stopped reading.

It's ESPN's blog network, so it's not really ESPN.

Plus it's pretty silly to summarily dismiss things.

 

[CP1708]

He's better then Greg Oden. All that matters

 

[what up]

Originally Posted by JPZx

Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

I came across this article on ESPN

Stopped reading.

The next word is "true." They'll teach you that in the 10th grade.

 

[bigmike23]

*waits for kd hater number 1 to enter this thread*

 

[airjordan jb23]

He's one of the best players to play his position right now. I wouldn't consider him the best to play it, but he's still young. Give hime some time& I think he'll be a top 5 player in the league.

 

[bangdak]

damn, i saw the author, i was goign to say, what kind of stats will OKB bring in this time?
i came in, i was

. NO STATS?

im kidding before feelings get hurt.

 

[stylishstef89]

Durant reminds me of T-Mac without the playmaking/athletic ability. He still has a way to go before he reaches Kobe/Bron/Wade level....just have to give himtime to develop further. People do get a bit carried away when judging his talent level due to the flashes he shows, and when you have a scoring machine likethat its hard not to be impressed or get carried away.

 

[grittyman20]

KD can only dream of being half as good as James White.

 

[kiddin like jason]

i came in, i was

. NO STATS?

You aren't reading closely enough. His entire post contains an underlying theme that Kevin Durant isn't PERtacular enough.

 

[jpzx]

In all seriousness...Durant will be something special.

He's already special in his own right, but I really believe his game will continue to flourish and he'll be a Top 4-5 player in the NBA by the the'11-'12 season or so. Like the article said though, he has to work on his defense and rebounding if he is to reach what I think he is capable ofreaching.

 

[yungmatt]

Special

 

[gimmemo23]

He's 21 and plays for a really young team. Let him develop a bit and he'll live up to all the hype. He didn't carry that Texas team by just beingan ok player.

 

[sohi 23]

Originally Posted by Bigmike23

*waits for kd hater number 1 to enter this thread*

? who's that

 

[enlightened thought]

once he reaches his full potential, he's gonna be one great player. numerous mvps, all star appearances, first teams all nba, scoring champ...i'mbasing this off 2k9 of course.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

i came in, i was

. NO STATS?

You aren't reading closely enough. His entire post contains an underlying theme that Kevin Durant isn't PERtacular enough.

Who said that PER thinks he's great, but PER also gives players credit for merely taking shots so chances are Kevin would do great.

 

[mateen cleaves]

very good

 

[bishopds]

aint better than my homie B Roy.

 

[dmbrhs]

You can use any stat to value or undervalue a player to fit your argument. I know this article is using , which is fairly simple, but you could find allsorts of crazy stats to credit or discredit a player based on your agenda. This is just off-season filler. The truth is Durant tries to do too much, but thatwould be natural for someone who is barely 21 and is supposed to be the main guy on his team. He also improved leaps and bounds from his rookie to sophomoreyear, and the article make sit seem like he's never going to improve in regards to his team success. He's already showed he can make monstrous leapsindividually, so maybe give him another year or two, perhaps. The media is so quick to grade players before letting them even mature. HE'S 21 YEARS OLD!

 

[holdenmichael]

Remember folks, if you message is only intended for one person and not of any interest to anyone else, USE THE PM FEATURE.


As for the topic, stat geeks are horrible unless we rarely hear from them and they're helping teams behind closed doors.


This blogger is fighting a one sided argument. No one puts Durant in the same league as LeBron, Paul, Kobe, and Wade. It's all speculation aboutwhere he could be and appreciation for what he can do now and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by BishopDS

aint better than my homie B Roy.

Roy learned all his fundamentals playing four years of college ball, and has more league experience. But this is beside the point.

 

[statis22]

I don't see him having a LeBron type impact but he def will be one of the best in the L in due time