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30 best NBA players to never win a championship

By Cody Williams

Dec 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) controls the ball against LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the third quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) controls the ball against LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the third quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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6. Kevin Durant

Frankly, Kevin Durant might not be on this list for much longer. After joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016 free agency, the former Oklahoma City Thunder forward seems to be on-track for winning his first NBA Championship. However, he hasn’t just yet, which qualifies him for this list. And in that regard, it’s about time that people realize that he’s already on the verge of being one of the all-time greats and deserves to be slotted alongside players of that ilk.

In his 10 seasons spent in the NBA, Durant has never averaged fewer than 20 points per game. What’s more, he’s not put up fewer than 25 points per game in any of the last nine years. However, what’s been the most impressive feat of Durant has been his development into an overall playmaker to complement his elite scoring ability.

Perhaps the best example of this is to compare his 2009-10 season to the 2015-16 campaign, his final with the Thunder. In the former, Durant put up 30.1 points per game, but averaged just 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in addition while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 36.5 percent from three. For the 2015-16 season, Durant’s scoring average dropped to 28.2 points per, but he increased both his rebounding and assist numbers (8.2 and 5.0, respectively) while also becoming a more efficient scorer.

Durant’s blend of size and skill makes him a unicorn in the league today and in the overall history of the NBA. He still has plenty of greatness left to put on display and, again, he might not be on this list much longer. However, he’s already put his stamp on the league.

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