When Kevin Durant decided he was going to join the 73-win Golden State Warriors this offseason, the idea that he’d be stronger MVP candidate than he was over the last few year’s with Oklahoma City, was a laughable proposition.
For starters, he was joining arguably the greatest collection of talent ever assembled, on a team coming off back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. What’s more, his new teammate, Stephen Curry, was himself coming off back-to-back league MVPs and two of his other new teammates, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, started in the All-Star Game last season.
Yet, 17 games into his first season with Golden State, Durant has exceeded all possible expectations and is playing arguably the best basketball of his career. Though many envisioned that Durant would improve playing in a free-flowing offense for the first time, perhaps we underestimated just how effective he would be.
Durant is putting up the best numbers of his career, at both ends, with relative ease so far this season. Consistently finding himself in single coverage and not having to force shots as he did so often in OKC, Durant is shooting 57 percent from the field and over 44 percent from deep, both career highs by a significant margin. Despite playing the second fewest minutes of his career, Durant is also putting up career highs in blocks and steals, while averaging 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, both above his career averages.
The advanced stats are just as impressive, with Durant’s efficiency rating ranking second in the league behind the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, and the highest of his career. His real-plus minus, which tracks how much impact a player has on their team when in the game, is fifth in the league, which is nearly unbelievable considering who he’s sharing the floor with.
Though part of what many consider a super team, it’s hard not to look at the numbers and come away with any other conclusion than Durant is at least in the conversation for league’s MVP, especially with Golden State tearing through the league on an 11-game winning streak that doesn’t look to be coming to an end anytime soon.
Most encouraging of all may be the fact that Durant looks completely comfortable in the Warriors offense, and has been the most consistent player since the first game of the season. ESPN front office insider Amin Elhassen joined The Audible on KNBR 1050 Monday morning, and explained that finally playing in a real system has made all the difference.
“He’s an MVP, who is now playing in a system where it’s not like ‘okay Kevin go get me one, everyone just stand over and watch. Okay Kevin now you take a break, cause the other guy’s got to go get me one,’” Elhassen said. “They actually run an offense in Golden State, they actually put guys in position to be successful. They don’t have to create their own success all the time and so for Kevin Durant, and I said this the day he signed, it’s the easiest 25 points he’ll ever score in his life.”
In fact it’s been the easiest 28 points he’s ever scored in his career, while attempting the fewest shots he’s ever taken. Per 36 minutes, Durant is more efficient and putting up better numbers in every category, save averaging one less point, than he did in his MVP winning season of 2013-14. He’s also winning a whole lot more.
Though it may be hard to believe considering he’s sharing the court with the reigning MVP, the Warriors are Kevin Durant’s team, and if both him and the team continue playing at the level they have for the last three weeks, it’ll be hard to argue he’s not been the league’s Most Valuable Player.
“I know Steph is the reigning MVP, but Kevin Durant’s an MPV. He is a legit MVP,” Elhassan said. “Not Charles Barkley going to Houston, not Bill Walton going to Boston. He’s an MVP right now. Imagine Michael Jordan went and played for the Houston Rockets when he came out of retirement. That’s what we’re talking about here. From that standpoint, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s so great.”