Everyone knew Kevin Durant was a great player, but when his point guard Russell Westbrook went down, everyone also expected the Thunder to struggle in his absence. However, Durant has risen to the challenge and elevated his team to be one of the elite in the Western Conference.
He is averaging 31.3 points a game and had another 40 point game last night. Over his last thirteen games he is averaging 37.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. Durant hit the game winning shot with 1.5 seconds left last night to give his team their eighth straight win. He currently leads the league with six games this season scoring over 40 points. He had a career-high 54 points against Golden State Warriors.
While he has always been a dominant player in the NBA, he always lived in the shadows of Lebron James, especially after his team lost to the Heat in the NBA Finals. Now, however, it is Durant who has impressed everyone with his elevated play this season.
When asked about his team’s recent success, Durant could not hold back his pride, “I know we play a lot of games and a lot of people say January doesn’t mean anything. But when you’re playing this game with your heart and passion like we do, sometimes you’ve got to sit back and just enjoy it.”
He will get a chance to truly outshine Lebron James this week when his team plays Miami.
