Vancouver Basketball’s ‘Soda’ – Kevin Durant: Superstar
By Andrew ‘Soda’ Wadden
If you had the first overall selection to build an NBA franchise around and could take any player in the league right now just who would you take?
LeBron James? Can’t go wrong there, right?
Kobe Bryant? A lot of bling on those fingers.
Dwyane Wade? Ya, he could work too, however, my pick would go to the youngest player to have ever led the NBA in scoring and who’s on the verge of becoming one of the NBA’s best ever scoring sensations. His name is Kevin Durant.
I can feel the heat on my back right now (no pun intended), about how King James, Black Mamba and Flash would all be better picks then the 21 year-old lanky kid from DC, but let me present my argument why KD, when it’s all said and done, may be considered better then all three of these NBA megastars.
Durant scored 30.1 points-per-game last season making him, as mentioned, the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring, which is astonishing when you consider it. At one point in the season last year Durant scored 25 points or more for 29 games straight. The kid is a flat-out scoring machine, but it doesn’t stop there. Last year KD set a career high in rebounds (7.6) and has raised his assists totals gradually through his first three seasons in the NBA. Plus, his defence is beginning to come around. Now just think about this. At 21 he’s not even close to hitting his prime. Now that’s scary.
Heading into the FIBA World Championships next month in Turkey, Durant is considered to be the star of the young USA squad that’s headed to the games. Even with all the accolades the always humble Durant doesn’t even consider himself to be a lock to make the team. Seriously! You think James, Bryant or Wade ever considered that they weren’t headed to Beijing in ’08? Not likely. This is the biggest key to why I feel Durant’s legacy could transcend the aforementioned big three. He’s that good, and the crazy thing is, he doesn’t even know it yet.
Yes, Durant has a long way to go before he’ll have the chips that Kobe has, but as of this moment he’s just one ring behind Wade and tied with James. When it’s all said and done will Durant end up with more hardware than James, Bryant and Wade? Only the future can determine that and the future is bright for Kevin Durant, superstar.