Earlier today, someone sent me an article in which Kevin Durant fired back at his critics via Twitter. To which my response was... Kevin Durant has critics? Does being unguardable count for nothing these days?
The Kevin Durant Conundrum
From the Thunder's beat writer, Darnell Mayberry (all quotes taken from Durant's Twitter feed):
Durant responded: “Everybody that is doubtin’ me as a player and my team as a whole...all I can say is that we all are tryin’ and workin’ our hardest!
”What more do you want? Let me be the player I am...I come to practice everyday...and push myself to my limit, God has put me (in) a (great) position!!!
“I love all the REAL basketball fans who appreciate hard work, passion and love for the game...and not (just) ‘plus and minuses’...(whatever that) is.”
The reaction comes in light of a recent piece from ESPN’s True Hoop titled, “The Kevin Durant Conundrum.” Like most articles delving into statistical minutiae in search of basketball wisdom, I’d skipped over the piece when I saw it on Friday. I understand that some people in very high corners of the basketball world are deeply invested in the knowledge of numbers, but I can’t help but ignore them. Numbers can only tell you so much, and if you allow yourself to become enraptured by stats like points-per-48, +/-, and player effiency ratings, it ultimately comes at the expense of reason.
In any case, the article clearly touched a nerve with Durant, so rather than rehash its statistical discussion, let’s take a look at its eventual thesis:
Kevin Durant, Great Player?
It shakes out as something of a debate between what we see with our eyes and what the team actually does. Based on how others have played at his age, it strikes me as likely that Durant will blossom precisely as predicted. But there's no denying that years one and two have proved little-to-nothing about his ability to help a team, despite his glossy reputation.There is an undeniable reality that flashy scorers, like Durant, have long gotten the benefit of the doubt when it comes to assigning greatness. Scoring is considered, essentially, a "big thing" for a player to be able to do. Durant's good at it, too. Durant's effective field goal percentage last season was a healthy 51%, even as he shot a ton. Garnett, James, Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire ... at the same age, they all made a lower percentage.
But if scoring is a big thing, what about the "little" things, like, say, defending the pick and roll, closing out on shooters and finding open teammates in rhythm? It could be that a young Durant has been doing the little things poorly enough that they overwhelm the big thing he does well.
Knowing that just about any NBA general manager would trade his own children for a prospect of Durant's caliber, I asked Winston if he'd advise his team to accept if the Mavericks were (in some alternate universe) offered Durant for free. "I'd say probably not," he replied. "I would not sign the guy. It's simply not inevitable that he'll make mid-career strides. Some guys do. But many don't, and he'd have to improve a lot to help a team."
Now, I’m not an NBA General Manager, and to tell you the truth I got C’s in math throughout high school. But... what? “He’d have to improve a lot to help a team”? Really? And while it’s true, the article neither endorses nor opposes Dallas numbers-cruncher Wayne Winston’s claim, merely presenting it for public consumption suggests he’s not clinically insane, and begets a rebuttal.
And here’s mine: watch the games. Kevin Durant’s plus-minus rating may suggest that he hurts his team on the court, but that’s not the point. When NBA observers herald Durant as the second coming, they do so not because of his scoring, and not even in spite of his horrendous defense. None of that enters the equation. When you watch Kevin Durant, what shines through most is his indomitable will on the basketball court. You can see it in his eyes--he’s got the ability to shift demeanor on the court and at the drop of a hat, go into kill mode. And that’s why he’s the object of so much enthusiasm across the NBA. He’s got that extra gear.
Without a doubt, there are pieces of his game that must evolve in order for him to be placed among the NBA Elite. But even so, next to the best players in the game right now, Durant’s competitive streak is perhaps more prolific than anyone but Kobe. And there’s no way to measure that type of thing. But in basketball, it’s probably the most important quality a great player can have.
It’s not that statistics are useless; when gauging the contributions of roles players on the periphery of a team’s roster, indeed, statistics like PER, per-48 averages, etc, can be invaluable to making a convincing case for the relative value of a given player. But when you talk about someone Durant, those numbers just don’t apply.
He’s in the elite class of NBA players, not because of any numbers, but because he’s got the quality that distinguishes very good players from Great Ones. And in that category, numbers don’t mean a damn thing. At that point, you measure guys by playoff wins, clutch performances, and championships. He’s a superstar. The type of player you build your team around. A guy that will single-handedly win games for you. Silly numbers and formulas don’t apply anymore, just like they don’t matter to a player like Lebron or Kobe Bryant. At a certain level, your greatness is beyond reproach.
Durant’s not there yet, but he’s headed in that direction, regardless of what his plus-minus rating might tell you. And that’s my final point, here: a player of Durant’s soon-to-be-stature should not be responding to critics on Twitter. And that, perhaps more than anything else, shows us why he’s not there yet. Kevin Durant is still a kid, he’s still sensitive to criticism, and he’s still naiive enough to think that if responds to an article on Twitter it won’t become a big story.
But it will; his Twitter comments have already been reprinted across the web. And as Durant continues to grow, he’ll learn. He’s in a different category from the rest of ‘em. And while he already operates with an assassain’s demeanor on the court, he’ll need to carry that same detached approah to dealing with the off-court drama associated with mega-stardom. But, it’s early, and he’s young. Like I said, he’s got plenty of time to learn and grow and become a bonified superstar. And it’ll happen before you know it.
Might even “help a team” one day.
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