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Can you make an argument that Kevin Durant was the best player of his team in every season of his NBA career? (alien.top)

submitted 11 months ago by Beautiful_Ad55@alien.top to c/nba@nba.space

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Obviously, a season like 2014/15 doesn’t count, where he was out injured almost the whole season.

Durant joined the SuperSonics in 2007, averaging 20 PPG in his rookie season. He then played for OKC for many years together with Westbrook and Harden. Then he went to Golden State, playing with Curry and Thompson. After that, he joined the Brooklyn Nets and played with James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Lately, he joined the Suns with Devin Booker.

So I would say there are not many players in NBA history who had more star teammates over the years than KD. Can you still say that KD always was the #1 guy at the end of the day? Especially when it goes to the clutch time?

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[–] MAMBAMENTALITY8-24@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (8 children)

Im guessing they meant just for the years durant was on curry's team.

[–] Puzzled-Bet4837@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (7 children)

The warriors were always better with lineups featuring Curry and no Durant than vice versa even during the three years KD was on the team. That is backed up both by eye test and actual on off data where they were like +15 net rating if both played, +12 with curry no KD, and +5 with KD no Curry (I could be fudging the numbers slightly but it was something like that where Durant was obviously a great player but the real driver of that team was always curry).

Here is a video from thinking basketball that dives into it more.

[–] mkk4@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Durant was the best player on the Warriors imo and arguably the best player in the world.

[–] Petit_Coeur_@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The warriors were always better with lineups featuring Curry and no Durant than vice versa even during the three years KD was on the team.

The system they used for years was built around Curry, and KD’s a plug and play type of the guy. The warriors had no reason to change their way so it makes sense that they played better in the Curry lineups.

[–] Puzzled-Bet4837@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Imo that alone can’t account for the dramatic differences that came about during their years together the final numbers ran up as +2 when KD plays without Steph, +12 when Steph played without Curry, and +15. I think those dramatic swings are more do to Curry being better at elevating everyone around him than anything else. To me KD is the better 1 on 1 player but Steph is the better player for 5 on 5.

Again tho I think we’re talking about two all time greats so I don’t think it’s crazy for anyone to have KD above him those years.

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