Getty Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots a free throw during a game against the Chicago Bulls.
Kevin Durant has established himself as one of the best scorers in NBA history since entering the league in 2007. He has career averages of 27.1 points, which is fourth all-time, and won four scoring titles.
A 12-time All-Star, Durant can shoot from anywhere on the court and over anyone thanks to his stature. The two-time Finals MVP has guard-like skills despite being 6-foot-10. He’s a three-level scorer who can cross over people at the drop of a hat and must be guarded once he passes half-court since he has unlimited range.
Durant shoots 49.5% from the field, 38.3% from beyond the arc and 88.3% from the free-throw line for his career. He’s one of the greatest offensive weapons the game has ever seen, something Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball learned the hard way during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017-18.
“I remember my rookie year when I was in L.A., we were playing the Warriors at Staples, and with like 20 seconds left in OT, in a tie game, I got iso’d on KD at the top of the key,” Ball wrote for The Players’ Tribune in 2019. “He started left, and man … he hit me with this cross, and he just straight up lost me. There was nothing I could do with it. Then he hit the shot, and it was a wrap. To have that kind of size and still have a guard’s skill set is just crazy.”
Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season with the Brooklyn Nets recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered in the 2019 playoffs as a member of the Golden State Warriors. Some people were skeptical whether KD could perform like a superstar after suffering such a devastating injury, but the future Hall of Famer proved those critics wrong, so much so that NBA execs have voted him as the top clutch player in the league.
NBA Execs Vote Durant as Top Clutch Player
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype polled 21 NBA executives for their top clutch players in the game currently. Durant, who averaged 26.9 points in his first season after tearing his Achilles and 29.3 points this season before suffering a knee injury, received 50.48% of the maximum amount possible.
“Kevin Durant is the best scorer in the game,” one NBA executive told HoopsHype. “He can beat you in so many ways with how well he shoots with his size. It’s almost impossible to get a real contest on his shot.”
“Durant carried the Nets in the Milwaukee series, and he was carrying them this year before he got hurt,” another NBA executive said. “Whenever they needed a bucket, he delivered.”
Durant beat out DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker and Kyrie Irving in Scotto’s poll. The two-time champion is 23rd in NBA history in points (24,936) and will continue to rise on the all-time scoring list once he returns from his left MCL injury, which could be soon.
Durant Could Play Again Soon
Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters on February 26 that Durant could return to the lineup during the first week of March.
“Every day closer,” Nash said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “We’ll see. I expect in the next week he’ll be back for sure. It could be quick; it could be the whole week barring any setbacks. I think with Kevin he’s been a great healer throughout his career. So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free.”
Once Durant returns to the court and gets his legs underneath him, the Nets will become a dangerous team again. They are 24-12 with the Texas product in the lineup this season.