- Kevin Durant became public enemy no. 1 overnight when he left the Thunder for the Warriors in 2016
- Durant stated he played with a lot of athletes in OKC, not skill players
- Durant also was tired of the system and felt he was the only one who could shoot threes consistently
Kevin Durant rocked the NBA world when he left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016. It was seen as a weak move as the Warriors had just beaten the Thunder in the playoffs, but Durant wasn’t bothered by that, and he explained why he made that decision on the All The Smoke podcast in 2020.
“In OKC, I played with a lot of athletes,” Durant said. “I didn’t play with a lot of skill guys, not like shooters, (or) ball-handlers. So after a while, my game started to grow (and) I was like, ‘I need a change.’ This was before the (2015-16) season even started.
“I was tired of playing in that system,” Durant continued. “I was tired of being the only guy that can make threes, make jump shots, and consistently make them. So, my mind was already thinking about how can I develop my game more so than the Warriors vs. Thunder, that rivalry. Even if that was a rivalry, I didn’t give a f***.”
(starts at 15:23 mark):
Durant was thinking of leaving even before the 2015-16 season started, which is quite interesting. Also, when he says he played with athletes and not shooters, you immediately think he’s referring to Russell Westbrook.
You could certainly say The Thunder, as a whole were more about physicality and athleticism than skill. They were a big strong team that led the league in rebounds in the 2014-15 season (47.5 per game), and in the 2015-16 season (48.6 per game) as well.
When Durant only played 27 games in the 2014-15 season due to injuries, the Thunder massively struggled from beyond the arc, as they shot just 33.9%, which ranked 22nd in the league. The Warriors, on the other hand, led the league in three-point shooting percentage at 39.8% in 2014-15 and 41.6% the following season.
Stylistically, Golden State was a better fit, but it just wasn’t a great look. Durant would go on to win back-to-back titles with the Warriors but, to this day, doesn’t get the respect for it from many, and it’s doubtful he ever will. Iman Shumpert even stated that Durant isn’t respected by NBA players for forming multiple superteams after leaving the Thunder.
Kevin Durant Wishes He Could’ve Had A Team Like The Thunder Currently Have
Following Durant’s departure, the Thunder were never really serious title contenders, even when they had managed to trade for Paul George in 2017. They entered a rebuild a few seasons back and have now managed to put together a very promising young core.
The former MVP was asked if they remind him of his OKC days, and Durant said he wishes he had a team like the Thunder’s current core. He praised their versatility and commented on them having multiple tall ball handlers, something the 13-time All-Star wished they had back during his time.
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