Kevin Durant might not be having the best of times right now with the Brooklyn Nets struggling to make their mark in the playoffs, but 6 years ago, things were very different for the 6’10” forward.
Playing for arguably one of the best teams the NBA has ever seen, Durant joined the Golden State Warriors who were already star-studded with the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. It is safe to say that this iteration of the Warriors was outright scary.
In the three seasons Durant played with the Dubs, they cruised to the NBA Finals thrice. Winning two championships and two Finals MVP trophies, an ACL injury to Durant and an Achilles injury to Klay stopped the Warriors from a legendary 3-peat.
While KD’s three years with the team were nearly perfect, it seems like criticisms about the forward not making much of an impact on the Dubs’ championships have been rampant of late.
Durant certainly was having none of it. In a recent episode of his podcast, KD reacted to the criticisms and clapped back at his doubters.
“I’m not gonna agree with what you saying like I didn’t contribute to the dynasty, I did so I don’t give a s*** if it makes you feel like I’m attacking the warriors, I’m gonna always take my side cause I felt like I contributed in a positive way every single second I was inside that arena.”
Durant’s impact on the Dubs’ championships is visible in the numbers themselves. Averaging about 26 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds per game, the 8-time All-Star made a superb Warriors offense into an unstoppable one. Became the focal point for defenses to focus on, Curry and Thompson now had many more open looks leading to easy baskets for the ball club.
All of these aspects were amplified in the playoffs, where KD almost averaged 30 points, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Durant, who is somewhat underrated in his defensive abilities, bolstered the Dubs’ defense with his size and averaged about a 1 block and 1 steal per game.
The Warriors were already great, and this was visible in their 73-9 record season as well, but they weren’t invincible and with the addition of Durant to the lineup, one could easily say that for a certain period of time, the Golden State Warriors were simply impossible to beat.
