As the face of the NBA’s hottest team, it’s no secret that Brooklyn Nets (20-12) superstar Kevin Durant has been playing on an even higher level than usual lately if that is even possible. Brooklyn is 10-1 in their last 11 games and has been doing it on both ends of the floor.
Durant is averaging 31.8 points on 72.4% true shooting with 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks in his 10 appearances during that span.
He has credited his understanding of defenses with his continued ascension.
But Durant – to whom countless players of the current and next generation have been compared – also talked about where he picked up some of his game from. His answer, Tracy McGrady might surprise some who didn’t get to see or just don’t know how good “T-Mac” was but he certainly appreciated the shoutout.
T-Mac Responds to KD
“T-Mac stood out because I feel like we had a similar body type,” Durant told NBA TV’s Jamal Crawford. “We had the similar move with the hesi pull-up. He started it, I felt like, and I tried to take it from him. So I tried to watch his games as much as I could and check his movements and tried to emulate everything I seen.”
McGrady retired from the NBA in 2013 but did play overseas. He finished as a seven-time All-NBA selection earning just as many All-Star nods and leading the league in scoring twice en route to his Hall of Fame induction in 2018.
The former player-turned-analyst got word of Durant’s words and responded in kind.
Listed at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, McGrady does not boast the stature of Durant who is listed at 6-foot-10 (7-5 wingspan) but has admitted to being a 7-footer.
But, at his peak, he averaged 32.1 PPG on 56.4% true shooting in 2003.
He also put up 26.3 PPG on 52.4% true shooting from 2001 to 2008 before injuries – which he and Durant can unfortunately both relate to – began to take their toll on him.
On this day in 2004, Rockets guard Tracy McGrady scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds to stun the Spurs.
McGrady averaged 69-plus games per season during that eight-year run.
He made 70-plus appearances five times during that stretch and fell below 50 games just one time.
Over his final four years, however, he averaged just over 47 appearances per season. He did make 72 appearances for the Detroit Pistons in 2011 and saw 52 games for the Atlanta Hawks the following season.
The Next KD
Durant’s appreciation for the previous generations is not surprising. He has always shown deference towards those that took the court before him, his peers, and the game of basketball as a whole. But his recent take on embattled Eastern Michigan star Emoni Bates is just the latest example that it doesn’t stop there.
Bates was a highly-touted prospect at the University of Memphis before running into trouble.
“I like that he’s going the total opposite route in life,” Durant told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports. “Leaving school early, transferring from Memphis, got arrested. Went through some s***. You gotta go through some s*** in this life to truly understand where you are.”
Emoni Bates against Detroit Mercy:
@BatesEmoni
– 19 points
– 4-8 3PT
– 6 rebounds
While not the same level of “s***”, Durant has dealt with scrutiny throughout his career for his decisions.
He’s also had to battle back from multiple career-threatening injuries.
Brooklyn has a long way to go to prove that what we have seen of late is legit and that they won’t revert back to the drama-filled mess they were to begin the year. But they will be in the thick of the Eastern Conference race as long as they can keep the Durant – the next T-Mac and the first Emoni Bates – upright and happy both on and off the court.
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Hall of Famer Responds to Nets’ Star Kevin Durant