Durant is a machine. Three
pointers, pull-ups, step-backs, turnarounds, drives, dunks; the dude has them
all in his arsenal and can pull out any at the drop of a dime. The three
straight scoring titles should come as no surprise to anyone who has had the
opportunity to watch Durant play, as he is able to score over the world’s best
defenders with the same ease as a high schooler balling on his younger brother’s
Little Tikes hoop.
Dirk Nowitzki is widely celebrated
as one of the world’s best scorers, as he has a great shot, great range, and an
uncanny ability to hit extremely difficult, heavily defended, off-balanced
shots. Kevin Durant is like an athletic
Nowitzki; he can do all of that same stuff, plus he has the ability to drive
the lane, jump over you, and dunk on your head.
Durant is extremely well-rounded, and his size (Durant stands over 6’9’’)
makes him unstoppable from almost anywhere on the court. A combination of that
size, athleticism, and shooting ability doesn’t even seem fair. Dirk has laregely been able to dominate
offensively based off of his size and shot; imagine what Durant could do with
those same two assets plus extreme athleticism.
The three scoring
titles Durant has already laid claim to (which are more than either Shaq or
Kobe has up to this point in his career;
or many other legends you would think to list) have come at such an early point
in his career, that it would be somewhat shocking if he didn’t secure several
more throughout his playing days. And the
dude is only 24 years old!! KD is still
only impoving, and his game has expanded almost each season, as he has
continued to add muscle, leading to improvements on the defensive end and on
the glass. To think that he snagged
three scoring titles while still somewhat raw and undeveloped should be a pretty scary thought for the rest
of the League.
At this
rate, barring any serious injury, Kevin Durant has an opportunity to become one
of the most prolific scorers in basketball history, and maybe even make a run
at Kareem’s long-standing scoring record.
There’s no reason to think that he couldn’t. Durant is poised to dominate for the next
decade, and as he continues to grow and improve as a player, his scoring
numbers should, if not improve, at least remain consistent with the high level
they are already at. We are witnessing
one of the most prolific scorers the game has ever seen, and everyone needs to
take note.
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