Before Kevin Durant arrived at the Golden State Warriors, the team was doing just fine. Well, at least that’s what most people believe. They had already won a championship in 2015 and somehow blew a 3-1 lead in 2016, when they lost the finals.
So, even if KD wouldn’t have come to join the Warriors, they would have been good. It is evident from the fact that Green recently claimed the Dubs would have no problem in beating the Houston Rockets, even without KD.
But that’s the extent of it. In the same interview, Green pointed out the Warriors still needed Kevin Durant’s talent to defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After all, the Cavs were the biggest threat to the Warriors dynasty in those 2017 and 2018. Green also pointed out the biggest reason why the Dubs were in need of a player of Durant’s caliber.
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“Teams had figured us out, and I personally don’t think at that point Steph Curry had figured out, ‘I’m going to get a bucket whenever I want to.’ I don’t think he was capable of that yet. I think he was still growing into that. … The reality is, we got to a point where we needed to be able to give someone the ball that can just go get a bucket. And Kevin was already there. I don’t think Steph was there yet. So it gets us through those two years. We get those two championships.
That allowed [Curry] to score whenever he wanted, because you can no longer bump him off his path. … That’s where Steph turned the corner and he became unstoppable. And now we’re able to continue winning championships because he’s unstoppable.”
As Dray concluded, Curry has gone through some serious changes in his physique over the last few years. This has allowed him to drive to the basket more efficiently.
We the proof throughout these playoffs and it added another layer to Curry’s already phenomenal game. Steph and the Warriors are now at a stage where they no longer need KD and can win championships without him. They proved so by winning the 2022 NBA Championship.
