Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers of all time and if anyone had doubts about his talents or impact, I think he silenced all his critics with that Herculean effort against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Durant and the Brooklyn Nets couldn’t get past the Bucks and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals but he played every single minute of the last 3 games 2 years off an Achilles injury. Also, he shot lights out from all three levels.
That’s why often controversial insider Bill Simmons believes that Durant is now the 10th best player of all time, even ahead of legends such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, or Moses Malone:
“I thought Durant was unbelievable in this Bucks/Nets series, I moved him up in my all-time rankings. I have him 10th above Shaq, Moses, Hakeem. The shot-making is just better now than in the 80s/90s. Durant should have had 4 rings (adding 2019 and 2021),” Simmons said on his Podcast.
Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. I’m pretty sure that plenty of fans believe that Durant is a top-5 player ever and that was already better than those aforementioned, while others will say that he’ll never be good as, say, Shaquille O’Neal.
Whatever the case is, Durant had some performances for the ages. People were questioning his legacy and his ability to win without another superstar at full strength next to him. But even if he couldn’t get the job done, there’s just no way someone could doubt him ever again.
Now, the Nets should focus on getting healthy and hitting the drawing board again, as they’ll be perennial championship contenders for as long as Kevin Durant is ready to take the floor. With or without Kyrie Irving or James Harden.
