But Harden might’ve gotten one if KD didn’t go there?

These conversations are fruitless and are really only brought up as an excuse to put players down.

This is a stupid argument because there’s literally know way of knowing this, but you just treat it like a fact. That OKC team was one game away from beating the Warriors with a 27 year old Russ and KD. You’re also comparing Harden in his prime to KD’s career in his mid-30s post-achilles tear. He was a perennial top 2-5 MVP finisher in OKC.

KD not leaving OKC means the entire landscape of the NBA changes, there’s literally know way of knowing how anything turns out.

Just an fyi, but you don’t write 2019’, it’s ‘19

I hate when fans do this thing where they just strip context out of everything. The actual story here is how bad KD’s injury luck has been. (Also James Harden is very very good).

You literally say “KD can’t do what Kawhi did in 2019 and 2021” when both of those players won a ring because they … ironically … beat a KD team that was injured.

Just like 2013 when Westbrook was hurt, or 14 with Ibaka, or 15 with KD, 20, 21, to even 2026 - injuries and not his play are the reason for his “lack” of winning.

He was like 2mm away from doing what Giannis did in 2021.

There is a good chance he wins one in OKC if he had stayed.

Outside of reddit everyone gives James Harden his due. Y’all in here just don’t like him. I also think Durant is properly rated and everyone understands that. It feels like you’re just trying to come to terms with your head cannon.

Lmao Giannis’ 2021 run was a cakewalk. Durant was better than him in that series.

In 2021 he averaged 35ppg against Mil, was labeled the best player in the world by Giannis himself, and probably wouldve won the title if his 2nd and third option weren’t injured. Also if his toe wasn’t on the line.

Also, not sure anyone was winning with Westbrook and the horrible spacing he dealt with in OKC for most of the years.

Durant outside of Golden State has dealt with a lot of bad luck, saying he couldn’t do what Kawhi did is also pretty funny. What, he couldn’t get lucky and deal with a team that lost its best player and 3rd option in the finals? You don’t think if the Heat lost LeBron and Bosh in the 2012 finals the Thunder wouldn’t have won a title?

You guys legitimately don’t know ball.

He was literally 1 big toe away from doing what Giannis did in ‘21

It’s funny but given given everything that had transpired since he should’ve stayed in OKC that’s it, he had what he needed :

- a good organization that could “shield” him from negative narratives

- a polarizing teammate that could attract all the criticism while also helping KD a lot on the floor

- coaches that allowed him to do whatever the f he wanted

- a dedicated fan base that loved him to death

He left because he wanted to experience something else, but everything since then makes it feel like it’s what he actually loved

He literally outplayed giannis in 2021 it just took fluke injury bullshit to his teammates to prevent him from winning a ring that year

Posts like these are so stupid. He was one shoe size away from a solo carry against the bucks in 2021. Kawhi needed three bounces to get past the 76ers in 2019.

It wasn’t just Steph.. peak Klay and Dray, et al, helped the Warriors to 73 wins before Durant got there

KD about to make a Reddit account to defend himself. Good thing he can be anon on Reddit

nah im not disrespecting that man

his Nets run was it, that was his Dirk season that the NBA gods just didnt want him to win lol

weird you mention Giannis when he only beat KD(who outplayed Giannis) team because of injury

I like to poke fun at KD as much as anybody, but as a Giannis fan as well I hate to bring this up but if Kyrie doesn’t get injured the Nets win that series in 2021. The Bucks were completely clueless on how to guard those guys and they were inept on offense. Thanks to coach Bud they never went at a hobbled Harden defensively and they left PJ Tucker on an island for KD to cook, it realistically shouldn’t have even went that far after Kyrie went down, and that’s a testament to KD. Also a testament to how bad Coach Bud was in that series, a better coach would have gone at the weaknesses of not having a fully healthy Harden, without Kyrie, and have taken off PJ Tucker from KD and crowd him as soon as he catches the ball.

how people say KD is better than steph is beyond me. KD feasted cause he happened to be on the same team as the top 2 shooters of all time in their primes, 1 of which has one of the best gravities in the league history

Kevin durant is an extreme singular talent. But since he’s not the best playmaker, he needs another star to play-make for his other teammates. He’s also not a great leader, he’s almost too good at basketball skills, so it’s a classic example of not understanding why the other teammates can’t understand. With that being said, this season isn’t really fair, they lost their starting center and point guard to injury. But it’s clear he doesn’t elevate his teammates all that much

The fact you thought you was cooking with this post is absolutely hilarious 

I love how these hypotheticals are only made to hurt players that are disliked. What if Steph was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, or Utah Jazz? If he was never drafted by the Warriors, a team with a “borderline” hall of fame PG as their coach, and a forward thinking front office, his ceiling would have been an Allen Iverson-lite, a scorer.

If he never goes to Golden State then he goes to Boston where he would have been the best player on a team that was the 1 seed and went to the ECF without him.

There’s a very real chance he wins a ring there.

He d be a 5 time nba champ if the blazers drafted him. At least that’s what I dream about

Harden might have gotten a Ring if KD never went, and people might actually view Harden better all time than KD.

James Harden pushed the greatest side of all time to the brink, and has carried average rosters and players to high seeds all his career. Kevin Durant can never, he doesn’t make others better.

Leave the 2 easy chips aside and Harden has had a better career in reality. KD can just “do more” on the court due to his unique archetype which is why he would get ranked higher anyway (and still gets ranked higher than his actual achievements currently due to this), but Harden has actually done more.

KD did save his legacy with the GSW move though despite the criticism. It would’ve be even better had he never left regardless of them winning more or not, then the KD/Steph debate would go on forever, while KD leaving and his stints post GSW and Steph 2022 has settled it conclusively, even in hindsight for the 2 chips.

His golden state rings always have and always will be lame and completely unimpressive.

He joined a team that won 67 games and a title, followed it up with a 73 win season and game 7 of the NBA finals

He left and 2 years later they win another title without him

They won titles with Harrison Barnes and Andrew Wiggins in his role, so KD winning there really does absolutely nothing for his legacy to me

He’s in the same category as Chuck, Harden, Nash, etc. never won a title as the guy

Durant gets more undeserved hate than any great player I’ve seen. To those of you who missed the ‘17 and ‘18 playoffs and especially the finals, Durant was incredible.

KD wouldve easily won 2021 if eh faced the weak competition giannis did LOL. KD beating the 2012 spurs is fsr more challenging than what giannis did.

Harden pushing gsw in 2018 and 2019 is a better accomplishment than giannis beating teams missing trae kyrie harden and then beating a non contender in the finals who had no business being there who also only made it due to injuries to murray mpj davis kawhi.

Hilarious

I think he still could have got one in OKC tbh. They blew a 3-1 lead, yes. But they still competed hard with that 73 win Warrior team. The OKC team he left wasn’t a bad team by any means.

His mistake was listening to Brady. He was about to sign with the Celtics instead of Golden State.

He wouldn’t have had nearly the stigma of joining a 70+ win team that just beat him in the WCF. Boston would have been his team. He would have had Horford (on his short list of preferred teammates). A young Brown and Tatum. Kyrie joined the following season (his best friend at the time). And great defensive pieces in Smart, Crowder, Avery Bradley.

If Kyrie wasn’t traded, Celtics would have kept that pick, and the rumor is they would have drafted SGA at #8 instead of the Cavs drafting Sexton at #8 (SGA went #11).

His legacy would imo be completely changed for the better.

Flipside, Ainge was enamored with Big 3s. Tatum, Brown and the Grizzlies valuable pick would have been shipped to NO for AD instead of LAL. Celtics big 3 of KD, AD, and Kyrie would have probably imploded just as bad as KD, Harden, Kyrie on BK.

Celtics would be stuck in a perpetual rebuild afterwards, with few assets available.

He wouldn’t have any rings if Draymond hadn’t punched LeBron in the nuts and Harrison Barnes forgot how to play basketball for a week

Everything KD touches dies

the actual uncomfortable truth is that KD was the best player on those warriors runs

The warriors needed KD, they begged him to come after losing to the Cavs. People say they won without him the year before but realistically Kyrie and Love were both hurt so of course they won lol

This is a very comfortable truth, everyone knows KD legacy is fraudulent lmao

Harden for the Rockets is more impressive than anything KD has ever done.

Durant has had multiple seasons that do compare well with Kawhi and Giannis’ championship runs and he did it on multiple teams as well. I know it’s currently shit on KD season but go back to his 2013 season with OKC, 2017 with the Warriors and 2021 with the Nets and tell me he can’t be the best player on a championship team.

Thats why when people say he’s better than Lebron prime for prime I know I’m talking to a mouth breather

He already did what Kawhi did in 2019 in 2012—he just ran into the prime Heatles in the final instead of an injured Golden State

People love to bring up the Kawhi 2021 ring but never the fact that they only won because of injuries

If you believe the reports that horford would’ve went to okc then okc would’ve gotten one

He is the most patently overrated superstar of all time. I still see lists having him in the top 15 or even top 10 all time. He’s not even close. He literally could not win without the most stacked roster in NBA history.

He had a golden opportunity to do so in 2016 being up 3-1 on the Warriors and could not get the job done. He joined a good Suns team and they immediately imploded.

This is not new info just a new fan base accepting it. I been comfortable with it for a while. 

Answer me this…. If going to Golden State was such a brilliant move, then why do I not own any Golden State Durant jerseys? Something’s not adding up.

KD is the main reason GS got 17 and 18. GS lucked out with playing all these injured teams in 15, choked in 16 then knew they needed to improve if they wanted to win more championships. GS really is lucky they didn’t get just 1 ring out of the curry era but no one wants to admit that.

Yeah I think if I’m KD I can live with being clowned on for being a bus rider. Much better than being clowned for having no ringzzzz

KD has never won a playoff series without a hall of fame point guard as the #1 guy

Meanwhile people put him in like top 5 all time talks

To be fair, Kawhi wouldn’t have been able to do what he did in 2019 if KD and Klay hadn’t gone down. That Warrior team was an all-time great team.

Curry won before KD

KD hopped on Curry’s team and all but guaranteed they won more

Then KD left and Curry won again, with his team

Oh wait a good player needs another good player to win. Thats a crazy thought. Let’s ask ALL the other championship winners if they agree. Smh. People will try to be mad at KD but never at the others for the same thing

I agree with the OP but I don’t think the statement is so bold. Many top 20 players’ careers look very different if you take away a key teammate. How do we view Oscar without Kareem? Magic without Kareem? West without Baylor? Or extend the same to coaches- Jordan or Kobe without Phil, Duncan without Pop, Curry without Kerr.

I think the list of guys who had high level success in many different environments is the shorter and maybe more amazing one.

Big difference being Durant’s game in its prime was amazing to watch and he never resorted to foul baiting or gaming the refs like Harden did. So I think he would have been more beloved by far than Harden. And I think he could have won 1 ring the hard way.

But he didn’t believe in his team’s FO, so why should he stay?

if he never went to GS who knows what happens in those 3 years brother.

The uncomfortable truth about KD signing with the Warriors is that it makes it easier to discount his legacy and LeBron’s. If LeBron wins another title or two in Cleveland I bet a lot more people think he’s the GOAT. If KD went to the Celtics or stayed with the Thunder and won a title that was seen as his own we wouldn’t have silly threads like this.

But as it stands KD is corny and joined a 73-9 team. It was an extinction level event for the rest of the NBA. Now his legacy is muddled even though he’s an easy top 20 all time player.

“He could win rings for all his fingers and toes and it wouldn’t mean as much as one in OKC.” - former OKC mayor Mick Cornett

OP cooked with this one NGL

More like KD spent his prime years in GS, then got injured and was never as good as he was then.  If he hadn’t gone to GS then prime KD is somewhere else, probably winning a championship.

You can’t say this like fact. They definitely had a great chance to win the next season if he stayed.

If my grandma had wheels she’d be a bicycle.

I posted this a week or so ago. The fact KD has had awesome teammates wherever he has gone and forced his way to certain teams, none of those teams really got better. The nets got a little better. The suns were in the finals just a couple years before and didn’t get better; the rockets are worse than last year. He keeps going to really good teams to just make them ehh. Except the warriors. He went to a team that won 73 games ; then they won 67. And won the title. Like he made an all time great team and all time great team? That’s his case against being harden?

If KD never went to GS then the Cavs 3 peat the rest of the 2010s