The forgotten athleticism of OKC Kevin Durant
Just because Zoomers didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it is forgotten lol
Those post spin-off attacks live in my head rent free
Zoomers were definitely around for this lmaooo. Growing up, for me, people were mainly hooping in KDs, Kyries, and Kobes
Fair enough. But around and aware are two very different things lol. All 3 were with Nike at the time, so that’s a big part of it.
Gen Z goes 1997-2012 apparently. So for some, yes. But for others the OKC-Miami Finals was when they were toddlers.
Does anyone remember Starburys? That’s what me and my friends were hooping in
We aren’t that young. We were definitely around for OKC-era KD.
As a millennial I forgot. Haven’t seen him do anything close to this in literally 10 years.
Right lol.
Just like Lebron, KD played for so long, new gen dont know that he was more than a middy one trick. Guy was THE definition of a 3 level scorer
God OKC KD was so damn awesome
After getting his MVP he was the NBA darling, things changed quickly after that.
It’s honestly crazy how the Hero-Villain dynamic between KD and LeBron completely flipped after a couple of years.
a positive KD post? This has to be AI
No that’s not Allen Iverson
Not your best work
Feel like he completely shifted his game after the Achilles
He can still get past people on drives. His first step is so large few players can keep up with him.
It really was after his foot injuries in 2015, never was quite the same player after that IMO.
i don’t think his post Achilles transformation is talked about enough. pre-achilles he took ~40% of his shots from midrange and shot ~44-45% on those. that jumper got better as the years went on, but post-achilles he’s at ~45% of his shots and shooting ~53%. he’s also gone from being a very good rim finisher (~73%) to straight up godlike (81%) despite obviously not being able to get up and dunk as much.
if he’d had this jumper when he was younger he’d have broken the MJ scoring title record
Will always love Slim Reaper
Slimothy McVeigh
Forgotten? Not in the slightest
This guy was the uncs Wemby.
This is by far the best and most accurate analogy.
people forget pre-Achilles KD was moving completely different. his first step was legit explosive and he was an actual plus defender in those OKC days. the narrative got rewritten hard after the injuries and Brooklyn years
i just really really wish he never went to gsw. he was that dude
Forgotten for kids i guess
Nobody forgot about KD’s athleticism lmao
Lmao I had forgotten Grant Hill was a Clipper
goddamn in that first one he jumps high enough to almost look down into the rim
Matt Barnes after he gets smoked like wtf
It’s just crazy that some of these guys are legitimately 7 feet tall and can move like this
Good engagement bait lol but nobody is forgetting about one of the greatest scorers ever peak athleticism.
This was when he was Durantula, before he became Easy Money Sniper.
Seattle Supersonics
Who gives af about a double team when you can just split that mfer
KD still does this in flashes. He’s just older and does posts-up and mid-ranges more to preserve his health and shoot more efficiently.
Second clip is on Gortat when he was with the Suns and third is on Gortat when he was with the Wizards lol
Kevin Durant was the first dude at his body type I ever saw play who I thought would be able to stay healthy, play in the paint when needed, and not consistently get injured.
Before that it was all Jonathan Benders and shit.
The only thing video made me remember is Roy Hibbert existed. Seriously forgot about that dude.
One of the best half court dunker wing of the new era
Gen Alpha this is why he can have so many burners
sweat equity
I wouldn’t quite call it “athleticism”, yes obviously he’s an NBA player so hes more athletic than 99.9% of the world, but its really his height and insane arm length that make those plays possible. I think KD definitely had great quickness for his size in his OKC days but I wouldn’t say he was a particularly athletic superstar, definitely one of the most skilled of all time though
His coordination, speed, balance, and explosiveness at 6’11 were part of his athletic profile and were all completely abnormal. Reminder that he moved like he did at the same height as Jokic, Sengun, and KAT, and taller than Duren, Bam, JJJ, AD, and Jarett Allen
“Forgotten athleticism” and it’s not D Rose or Westbrook, actual athletic players
Because who the hell forgets about D Rose or Westbrook’s athleticism?
You’re totally right. Only the top 1% of NBA players are athletic. The rest are just tall. /s 🙄
Respectfully you’re a casual if you think athleticism is just jumping really high. Prime KD was a beast athlete overall at his size.