Kevin Durant: The Messiah

This is Kevin Durant.  At the age of 21, he became the youngest player to ever win the NBA scoring title.  He is the 2nd fastest player to reach 10,000 points for his career (Lebron James did it faster).  He is one of 15 players, in the history of the game, to win multiple NBA scoring titles.  He is one of 5 players to win four or more scoring titles.  He was the league MVP of the 2014 season.  Five time All-Star. Five time All-NBA First Team.  Rookie of the year.  It goes on and on.  He's only 26.  If he retired today, he would be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee without question. Sure, when it comes down to playing against Durant, he gets his respect.  However, it's obvious when he speaks, and by the way he carries himself, that KD is not your average superstar.  He holds different ideals, driven by a love for the game that may be on par with the likes of Jordan and Bryant.  So what is about Kevin Durant that separates him from the modern superstar?

Drafted with the #2 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Kevin Durant could have easily been taken #1 to the Portland Trailblazers.  To this day, I cannot figure out Portland's logic in passing on Kevin Durant, but I digress. Listed as 6 foot 9 inches tall, Kevin Durant is the same height as Pelican's Center Anthony Davis.  However, Durant's talent contains elite ball handling, all-time great shooting ability, and (as much as I hate this phrase) the "clutch-gene."  The league has never seen a player with his body type that could shoot, dribble, and run like Durant can.  Another aspect of Durant's game that I believe is overlooked is the efficiency in which he scores the basketball.  He is one of six players ever to finish a season with a shooting percentage of 50+%, a 3-PT percentage of 40+%, and a free-throw percentage of 90+%.  During that season, he averaged 28.1 PPG, the highest of any member of the 50-40-90 club since Larry Bird in 1987.  Some of the records that Durant has set are simply unbelievable, such as recording 25+ points per game for 41 straight games.  That is second all-time to just Wilt Chamberlain, who recorded 80 straight games.  However, for a shooting-focused player, I believe it is more impressive that Durant had 41 straight games whilst getting the majority of his points on jump-shots, as opposed to Chamberlain, who lived underneath the basket.

Consistency+Efficiency=A scoring machine; which is exactly what Durant is billed as.  The term un-guardable gets thrown around a lot in today's basketball discussions.  I think that there are three players in the league right now that are truly indefensible: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.  These three players transcend there positions, negating any idea of even slowing them down.  The scariest thing is, Durant and Curry may not even be in their "prime" yet.  Both players are 26 years old, one year younger than LeBron James and Michael Jordan were when they won their first championship.

The title of this article bills Durant as "The Messiah."  By definition, a Messiah is a leader or savior of a group or cause.  I believe that Durant stands for a lot more than he is currently given credit for.  I think he is the second coming of Julius Erving, both men dominated their era's with style, on and off the court.  More importantly, both will be remembered for doing it with class.  Even further, both men had a connection with the common people that hasn't been matched in my eyes.  Durant is famous for being a frequent member of Summer Leagues across the country; Erving did the same almost 40 years ago.  Durant is the last of the Julius Erving/Tim Duncan types.  He isn't in the NBA to be famous, he doesn't play for recognition.  His MVP speech spoke volumes to his love for the sport and his love for his mother, as well.  He hasn't forgotten where he came from, as some people do when fame is given to them.  He takes his role seriously, and he owes it to the people to play his ass off every night because he knows how lucky he is to be where he is.  Durant is driven by the fact that he has been "2nd" for his whole life.  He says, "I’ve been second my whole life. I was the second best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the finals. I’m tired of being second. I’m not going to settle for that. I’m done with it."  I believe that Kevin Durant is simply too talented to leave this league without at least one NBA Championship.  Statistically, KD measures up with just about anyone in the history of the game; but he knows, as well as we do, that in order to be put at the top of the mountain, you need rings to back you up.  Do I think Durant is going to jump ship on OKC and move to the Wizards? No, I do not.  I think, whether or not he ever wins a championship, Durant has given his heart to Oklahoma City, and I don't think he could leave.  One thing is for sure though, with Westbrook and Durant at full health, the Thunder will be a difficult match-up for anyone in the Western Conference come playoff time.  This could be the year where Kevin Durant takes his place among the legends of this game.