Analyzing Kevin Durant’s Hot Stretch
Kevin Durant is scorching hot right now for the Oklahoma City Thunder. We have all heard that he is tearing up the league, but just how good has he been? Durant is putting the Thunder on his back and has singly handily carried them during their current win streak. The Thunder have won 9 of their last 11 games, and have won 8 in a row. They are the top seed in the Western Conference, and if Durant can keep this up they may never lose the top spot. While the rest of the team deserves some credit, clearly Durant is the reason that they are playing so well. KD is on a ridiculous stretch and he doesn’t appear to be on the verge of slowing down any time soon.
Now for the Numbers. Kevin Durant has scored over 30 points in his last 11 games. Last night he passed LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for the longest single-season streak in the past 10 years. During the stretch, he has scored 423 points and he has also scored over 40 points in 4 games. The stat that most impresses me is that when Durant is on the floor, he is scoring more than 43% of the Thunder’s points. That’s crazy. The stats that he is putting up right now are just unreal, and Durant has also overcome some obstacles.
The first obstacle that Durant has had to get through during the hot streak is the absence of Russel Westbrook. He is missing his point-guard, but he is still able to find ways to get the ball and score. Westbrook’s injury has certainly hurt the team, but KD has shown us that he can still get the job done without much help. The next obstacle that Durant overcame was his shoulder injury. He injured his shoulder on an odd foul against the San Antonio Spurs, and was forced to miss the game against the Boston Celtics. It was then expected that Durant would sit out against a poor Philadelphia 76ers team to continue to rest, but he played anyway and performed once again. Not even these barriers could stop Durant and it is interesting to think about what will eventually slow him down.
For the season, Kevin Durant is averaging 31.3 points per game. To along with that, he dropping 5.2 dimes, and 7.8 rebounds. The assists and rebounds he is averaging per game are incredible considering how many points per game he is scoring. With that said, this will be the year that Kevin Durant wins the MVP. For his entire career he has been overshadowed by the big names in the league, but he is finally making his push for the MVP. Durant is showing us that he can do it all on the court, and lead his team to many victories.
LeBron James has won the award in 4 of the past 5 seasons, but I don’t see him winning it again this season. Sure, he is once again having a great year, but he is not having as much of an impact on his teams games as Durant is. KD is scoring almost half of the Thunder’s points each night and he is also stuffing the stat sheet. He has finally gotten his team into the top spot in the West. The main reason he will win the MVP award this year is because of how much better he has made the Thunder.
This is not just a phase. Kevin Durant is ready to take over the NBA. The man is only 25 years old, and look at the things he is doing. He will win the MVP this season, and will win many more in the future. Durant has been overshadowed his entire career playing in Oklahoma City, and his play this season raises a new question. LeBron James or Kevin Durant? While James is still going to be dominate force in the league for years to come, look out for Durant to compete with him and eventually take over as the best player in the NBA.