Kevin Durant is widely regarded as one of the greatest players the world has ever seen and his greatness is undeniable at this point. Durant has been arguably the best scorer in the league for over a decade, which has led to him winning 4 scoring titles to go with an MVP award.
He has had plenty of success on a team level too, for the most part, thanks not only to his own greatness but also because he’s had some great teammates along the way. Durant had Russell Westbrook with him during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, then Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors, and now Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets. He has had varying levels of success with them, though, with his latest pit-stop proving to be his least successful one up to this point.
Kevin Durant’s playoff win% with superstar teammates: 📈👀
▪️ with Steph Curry: 78.6%
▪️ with Russell Westbrook: 57.3%
▪️ with Kyrie Irving: 46.2% pic.twitter.com/htCmolT3Lc
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) June 28, 2022
Durant’s time with the Thunder is a case of one being so close yet so far. They were a fun young team led by him and Westbrook, which also had James Harden as a sixth-man. The Thunder first made the playoffs in 2010 in Durant’s 3rd year in the league but were beaten by the eventual champions Lakers in 6 games in the first round. They’d make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals the following year, only to lose in 5 to the Mavericks who would go on to win the title.
Keeping up with their progression, they’d make the Finals the next year, but lost in 5 to the Miami Heat. Their run in 2013 would be derailed by Russ getting injured in the first round and they lost in 5 in the semifinals to the Grizzlies. They’d be back to the Conference Finals in 2014 but lost to eventual winners San Antonio in 6. Durant would miss significant time in 2014-15 which led to them missing the playoffs and in 2016 of course, they blew a 3-1 lead to the 73-win Warriors in the Conference Finals, which proved to be Durant’s last series with the Thunder. His Thunder playoff win-loss record with Westbrook would end up being 47-35, a 57.3% win rate.
KD would enjoy the best time of his career with the Warriors and Curry, as they were unstoppable together. Their first year was especially incredible, as the Warriors swept through the Western Conference and were up 3-0 in the Finals over the Cavs. Their record stood at 15-0 but the Cavs managed to win Game 4, and the Warriors settled for a 16-1 record. 2018 would prove to be a bit more difficult, as the Rockets took them to 7 games in the Conference Finals, but KD and the Warriors prevailed yet again and swept the Cavs in the Finals. Another trip to the Finals came in 2019 and this was despite Durant missing the Conference Finals against the Blazers. His absence was felt in the Finals, however, as KD only managed to play one game and they lost to the Raptors in 6. That was the end of his time with Curry and when the two were on the court, their record in the playoffs was 33-9, for a ridiculous 78.6% win rate.
While his time with the Nets promised a lot, things haven’t worked out well so far. He missed his first season due to injury but was outstanding on his return as he almost led them past the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, despite Irving missing the last 3 games and James Harden, who had been traded for earlier that year, being hampered by injury. Harden would leave the following season, of course, and KD, along with Kyrie, would shockingly get swept by the Celtics in the first round in 2022. His playoff record with Kyrie after that sweep now stands at 6-7 for a 46.2% win rate and it seemed like that’s where it would end, as Irving seemed to be on his way out from the Nets. Instead, he opted into his player option, so he along with Durant should spend at least next season together as per Adrian Wojnarowski. That’ll be their chance to right the wrongs from this past season and improve on that really disappointing record. We now wait and see if Durant manages to replicate his past successes here.
