Kevin Durant

[Pepe Silvia]

How is Durant's defense? League average? Slightly above?

I'm not sure to be honest.

I think he's regarded as a good defender around the league. I don't think he's a show stopper, but it seems like he's probably top ~10 defensively at his position.
Zach Lowe actually recently went back and forth about this on Twitter with someone.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/kberkopes">@kberkopes</a> If you think KD doesn't play D, you're about 2-plus years behind reality. LBJ has been coasting that end most of season.</p>&mdash; Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/statuses/437690096108961792">February 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/kberkopes">@kberkopes</a> OKC plays one of the league's most aggressive help schemes. He's likely not out of position when you think he is.</p>&mdash; Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/statuses/437944617154387968">February 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/kberkopes">@kberkopes</a> Sure, he's not perfect. But he's easily above-average on D. You said he doesn't defend. You're wrong.</p>&mdash; Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/statuses/437946416171057153">February 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Adam]

I always consider durant a fine defender, but with his physical gifts he should be amazing so i'm always a bit disappointed in him. He should be the best defender at the 3 spot. He has so much size on everyone and he's as fast

 

[Pepe Silvia]

Jesus. Those numbers seem like they've been ripped out of NBA 2k. You would think I'd be use to seeing broken numbers like this because LBJ played here, but it still shocks me.

I know - we were desensitized to unreal statlines from LBJ, but I'm still amazed by KD too. Larry Bird was a bit before my time so I've only seen highlight reels of him, but it seems like KD is sorta similar in some ways. Pure shooter, gamer, tall, cool calm & collected. And they have some very similar statlines in their careers. Definitely different games, but they do have some similarities it seems like.

 

[The Oi]

Bird was more similar to Dirk than Durant and their games looked very different. Bird was a more willing passer than either of those guys.

The best way to describe Durant is that he makes all the right decisions from a scoring standpoint, whereas Bird made all the right decisions from every standpoint. He also lacked Durant's body and athleticism, but he was infallible on the court a great deal of the time.

This is coming from a guy who was young when Bird was on the tail end of his career, but I watched a ton of his past work on Classics and just what's available online.

 

[Triumph36]

I always consider durant a fine defender, but with his physical gifts he should be amazing so i'm always a bit disappointed in him. He should be the best defender at the 3 spot. He has so much size on everyone and he's as fast

very hard to be the top 1-2 scorer and top 1 defender at a position including lebron james and paul george. he'd run himself the ground by the end of the reg season from playing too hard! kinda why lebron is seemingly taking most of the season off on defense, except he already has a spot in the conference finals locked up; durant has to exert much more energy to make it that far.

there is one guy who would've allowed durant to flourish defensively because he would've taken a lot of offensive pressure off durant but....

 

[Pepe Silvia]

Bird was more similar to Dirk than Durant and their games looked very different. Bird was a more willing passer than either of those guys.

The best way to describe Durant is that he makes all the right decisions from a scoring standpoint, whereas Bird made all the right decisions from every standpoint. He also lacked Durant's body and athleticism, but he was infallible on the court a great deal of the time.

This is coming from a guy who was young when Bird was on the tail end of his career, but I watched a ton of his past work on Classics and just what's available online.

It may be blasphemous to ask, but how close are they in terms of shooting? I know Bird is widely considered one of, if not the, greatest shooters of all-time. But with Durant's efficiency and ability to get a shot off anywhere or anytime he's gotta be up there with the all-time greats. That's another similarity, is their ability to get a shot off.

Bird is definitely the better passer and Durant the better scorer. Granted KD's passing is nowhere near Bird, it's coming along though. From what I've seen/heard about Bird, it seems like Durant has shades of Bird in his game. But that could just be cherry picking b/c Bird's an all-time great and Durant looks like he's on his way there.

 

[The Oi]

Shooting is easy to peg just by looking at stats. Durant is the better shooter, but by a tiny margin. The numbers are incredibly similar.

Durant also plays in a game that features a lot more three point shooting, so to hover in the 50/40/90 range like Bird did is probably more impressive with the volume of shots Durant takes.

 

[Surge]

Chris Mullin GOAT shooter and don't you try to say otherwise. This isn't even taking into account that sweet flat-top.

 

[The Oi]

Chris Mullin GOAT shooter and don't you try to say otherwise. This isn't even taking into account that sweet flat-top.

Pretty ballsy to discount Freddy Hoiberg.

 

[Surge]

Pretty ballsy to discount Freddy Hoiberg.

Yeah, I guess it might be a little Jigo-y of me, but think Hoiberg is probably a solid 3rd best shooter of all time.

 

[oasis05]

Durant was 10-16 against us but I thought Deng did a good job. Just can't stop that.

 

[Ruggeder]

It may be blasphemous to ask, but how close are they in terms of shooting? I know Bird is widely considered one of, if not the, greatest shooters of all-time. But with Durant's efficiency and ability to get a shot off anywhere or anytime he's gotta be up there with the all-time greats. That's another similarity, is their ability to get a shot off.

Bird is definitely the better passer and Durant the better scorer. Granted KD's passing is nowhere near Bird, it's coming along though. From what I've seen/heard about Bird, it seems like Durant has shades of Bird in his game. But that could just be cherry picking b/c Bird's an all-time great and Durant looks like he's on his way there.

Bird also made those shots in a time when you could hand check players, and often shove players with no foul call. Bird is the better shooter, and the better everything. I do however love Durant's game.

 

[Mdog1]

Bird also made those shots in a time when you could hand check players, and often shove players with no foul call. Bird is the better shooter, and the better everything. I do however love Durant's game.

Not defender. Not a better athlete or even really close in that regard. Bird may have been better at scoring, but durant is goin to blow by him soon in total points so you're fighting a losing battle that history won't ever remember happened.

 

[Ruggeder]

Not defender. Not a better athlete or even really close in that regard. Bird may have been better at scoring, but durant is goin to blow by him soon in total points so you're fighting a losing battle that history won't ever remember happened.

Larry Bird had multiple all-nba defense awards? How is he a worse defender then Durant? Also I would rather a player actually be good then be an "athlete". No idea what started that athlete over talent crap. I'm not referring to Durant, just in general, and also not you specifically for saying it, but that in general as well.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

Bird also made those shots in a time when you could hand check players, and often shove players with no foul call. Bird is the better shooter, and the better everything. I do however love Durant's game.

Good point. But you really think there's nothing that Durant is better at than Bird? Driving the basket, ball-handling, athleticism (with this his transition offense) come to mind for me. And it's hard to compare their 3 pt shot. It was very new when Bird came in the league and clearly wasn't as big of a part of the game as it is now. Over their careers, Bird put up 1.9 3pa on .376% and Durant is at 4.2 3pa on .377% (5.6 attempts on .395% this season).