Danny Green: Kevin Durant could’ve been the best player ever if he wanted to be

Run It Back: “If (Kevin Durant) was like Mike, (Michael Jordan) just made himself the system. Like James Harden, ‘I’m not a system player, I am the system.’ If he thought that everywhere he went he’d be top-5 of all time.” – @ Danny Green -via x.com / January 31, 2025

Run It Back: “If he had a different mentality, he’d be the best thing we’ve ever seen in the history of the game by far.” 😳 @ Danny Green & @ Lou Williams both believe Kevin Durant has the tools to be the best player ever, but chooses to play the game a different way! -via x.com / January 31, 2025

With a team full of that much talent, many experts expected LA to continue their winning ways. Unfortunately key players would leave that team either via free agency or trade. As a result, it’s left many wondering: what if? “The team wasn’t the same after,” Danny Green shared. “Guys went to different places and got traded so we weren’t able to run it back.” Four years have passed since the Lakers won in the Bubble in Orlando. Since then the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics have all been crowned World Champions. What if the Lakers stayed together? How many more would they have won? “We spoke about this a couple times on Dwight Howard’s podcast and a bunch of other people’s podcasts,” said Green. “He thinks we would’ve gotten a three-peat. I say we would’ve got two. I don’t know if we would’ve done three but I think for sure if that team would’ve stayed together, we could’ve gotten a second one.” -via ScoopB.com / December 16, 2024

Durant had established himself as a historically elite scorer before he even hit his prime, winning four NBA scoring titles by the age of 25. Only Michael Jordan (10) and Wilt Chamberlain (7) have claimed more scoring crowns. Durant has racked up points with remarkable precision, joining Larry Bird and Steve Nash as the only players in NBA history with multiple 50/40/90 shooting-split seasons. And he hasn’t declined at age 36, averaging 27.1 points this season, which matches his career average that ranks sixth all time. It’s the 16th season that Durant has averaged at least 25 points, which is more than everyone in league history except for LeBron James (20). -via ESPN / January 31, 2025

HIS INSTAGRAM HANDLE, @easymoneysniper, sums up the essence of Kevin Durant’s scoring ability. His teammates, even the fellow future Hall of Famers, have always been in awe of how uniquely smooth, simple and pure Durant makes getting buckets look. That has been the case from the time he broke into the league as a rail-thin teenager to now, when Durant continues to rank among the league’s most prolific, efficient scorers in the 18th season of his career. “He’s that guy that you see almost like a monument in a science museum of just like, what does a great scorer look like?” former Brooklyn Nets and Team USA teammate Kyrie Irving told ESPN. “Seven feet, able to handle the ball, able to shoot over anybody, but also a fierce competitor.” -via ESPN / January 31, 2025