Kevin Durant, last summer, made the huge decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors via free agency.
To no surprise, the move drew many comparisons to LeBron James‘ choice to depart the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat through free agency in the summer of 2010. According to Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, James agreed with that notion, keying in on adapting to the style of play for their respective new teams.
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Like James, it has quickly worked out for Durant reaching the NBA Finals in his first campaign with the team. In fact, it didn’t take long for him to adjust to playing alongside two high-volume shooters in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. As the season has wore on, Durant has found a way to implement himself smoothly in the offense without disrupting the flow.
It could be fairly argued that he had the most effective scoring season of his career that could have put himself in the MVP conversation had he not suffered a knee injury. He averaged 25.1 points on a career-high 53.7 percent shooting from the field along with career-bests in rebounding and blocks with 8.3 and 1.6 per game, respectively.
During the Warriors’ 12-o run in the playoffs on their way to the NBA Finals, Durant has been a highly efficient scorer averaging 25.2 points on 56 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from three-point range. Those will all be put to the test in the NBA Finals against James and the Cavaliers.