Comments on: Is Kevin Durant a Soon-To-Be Superstar or Overrated?

By: Brian Spencer

Brian Spencer — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:07:51 +0000

For the record, we’re big fans of Kevin Durant here at ETB (do a quick search for previous KD features for proof). We think he’s going to soon be one of the league’s top-five or so players and that he still hasn’t come close to realizing his full potential, on both sides of the ball. We’re also squarely on the Oklahoma City Thunder bandwagon and love the direction this franchise is moving in (save for those dreadful jerseys and logo).

That said, it’s healthy, fair, and interesting to analyze certain aspects of his game–at least as they stand right now–and to put it in some kind of context. We’ve long been supporters and fans of Henry Abbott’s TrueHoop, and think he’s raised a somewhat controversial point of discussion and sparked an interesting debate; our Mr. Blott has done a nice follow-up on that work here. All of us are looking forward to the day when this young Thunder team matures and becomes a true force in the Western Conference… and once they do, there’s no question that it’ll be Durant leading the charge.

By: Shehan

Shehan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:57:10 +0000

In the Field Goal percentage category, he is certainly not below average. In the old NBA days, when true defense actually used to mean something, then maybe, but right now, in this offense-orientated league, Durant’s offensive abilities completely offset his lack of defense.

Regardless, these statistics will never be accurate. You can’t honestly say that the Thunder would be better without KD. The reason he turns the ball over so much is because his point guard isn’t really a point guard. Westbrook can’t run the team (yet) and so the burden falls on Durant. Consequently, defenses key in on Durant. Also, Durant doesn’t get offensive rebounds because he has to take the shots. This article is completely ridiculous. Durant is certainly not a good defender, but his length and speed mean something, and his ability to put the ball in the hole (something I’m assuming is important in outscoring the opponent) is one of the best in the league. Stop hating on Durant. When he has as good a team as Kobe, LeBron or Roy (Wade is just insane) he’ll be doing exactly the same things.

By: jake

jake — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:16:11 +0000

Oh, no I’ve read Waynes work, as well as truehoop daily and I understand it and am like many other fans, puzzled by it and pretty surprised. But I do think, with time, he will improve on all of those things. The kid can score – everyone knows, but now obviously with this research it is now known what he really needs to work at if he wants to be an elite player and help bring the Thunder into any kind of title contention. This might be a bad example, but Carmelo Anthony could get baskets like no other but it was his commitment to defense (among other things) that helped bring Denver to the WCF last year. I’m not disagreeing with your comments Zach, keep up the posts!

By: Zachariah Blott

Zachariah Blott — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:20:59 +0000

The reason APM may be the most important statistic in basketball is that winning a basketball game comes down to the simple concept of a team winning the +/- battle on the scoreboard. Granted, APBRmetric researchers are still trying to figure out if APM is best applied to individuals or groups of players (are there pairs or trios of players who together do particularly well?), but Durant’s numbers all show that groups of teammates do better without him, as well. Here’s a recent blog about that with Durant’s numbers with teammates vs Westbrook’s numbers with teammates (http://waynewinston.com/wordpress/?p=184). The reason this doesn’t make sense to most fans is that his scoring highlights are just awesome. He’s bombing 3’s over everyone, and using that slinky body to drive up, under, around hordes of defenders. What fans have to realize, though, is that he is a poor passer, poor rebounder on both ends, and poor defender. His FG% is slightly above average, and he has a good 3FG%, but he’s only making 1.3 of those a game. I don’t see what it is that he’s doing consistently to help a team win. Again, I don’t know what the future holds for this young guy (no question he has a great work ethic); all of this talk is just about his effectiveness in helping the Thunder win in his first two years.

By: Jake

Jake — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:02:36 +0000

Maybe so, but +/- or not, take KD off of the Thunder and they don’t win as many games. Yes I read about how he doesn’t execute or defend pick n roll well at all, but he is still a young kid with a tremendous work ethic so I’m sure he’ll have the coaches to help him improve on all of this.

By: Zachariah Blott

Zachariah Blott — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:09:12 +0000

I’m sure this game was some sort of response on his part, but this whole debate is about *adjusted* +/- over a large period of time, not a player statistically getting his on one end of the court for an evening. Also, he didn’t play the last 15 minutes of the game or so, which is weighted more heavily in those formulas for obvious reasons. He still had 7 turnovers (next highest Thunder had 3) which is amazingly high for a non-guard. Don’t get me wrong, he has the talent to make himself a valuable piece for OKC, but he frankly is not contributing much to a winning team when he’s not shooting the ball.

By: jake

jake — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:46:28 +0000

He had a +24 in his pre-season game last night vs. Phoenix. Finishing with 30 points, 5-5 3pts, 11 bounds – and 2 blocks.

I think he responded to all this. Durantula is gonna get his.

By: Zachariah Blott

Zachariah Blott — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:43:56 +0000

Since Henry Abbott’s article appeared last Friday, Durant has tweeted about how hard he works (and stated that he doesn’t know what +/- is), and Abbott responded by looking at 3 hours of tape of Durant running and defending the pick-and-roll, the staple play for all NBA teams. His new article really gets at the heart of why Durant’s defense is so bad – check it out: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-45-42/Memo-to-a-Young-Baller.html