Kevin Durant is—as the kids would say—a bucket. At 6'11" with handles like a guard and lethal outside shooting ability, KD is like a scientifically designed matchup problem for practically every defender in the league.
His teammates know just how special Durant is. In a recent interview with Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated, Andre Iguodala went so far as to say Durant is the most talented scorer ever to play the game. "People don't appreciate him enough," Iguodala said. "He's the most talented scorer of all time. Hands down. He's a walking 30 points. He'll get 30 on 12 shots. That's very, very hard to do. Very efficient. Most guys need to feel the ball in their hands a lot to get a rhythm. He doesn't."
Durant and Iggy have spent the past two seasons together, and in that time they've won two rings—and Durant has won two Finals MVP honors. But Durant has willingly permitted a dip in his raw output. His scoring average dropped from the high 20s and low 30s in Oklahoma City to the mid-20s in the past two seasons in Golden State.
Iguodala added that it was the Warriors' culture that lured DeMarcus Cousins in free agency.
"For us, we understand that we have a tight window to build a certain type of culture that will attract athletes like DeMarcus Cousins," Iguodala told Golliver. "To where he will say [that joining the Warriors] is his 'perfect chess move'...What we're doing is playing basketball the right way. We're attracting a lot of people because they like the way we do things organically. We respect the game."
Durant, 29, is under contract for one more guaranteed season. He has a player option next summer.
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