Durant, out to prove the haters wrong
Here’s the kind of investigative journalism I love: On Friday, ESPN.com’s Henry Abbott put together a report detailing how Kevin Durant — future superstar Kevin Durant, that is — is killing his team. Now, admittedly I haven’t seen many Oklahoma City Thunder games and can’t weigh in on everything Durant brings to the table, but Abbott makes some good points. Now I’d like to see him do the same about Vince Carter (and Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Antawn Jamison and all other players that have made a living putting up big numbers on bad teams).
In the article, Abbott looks past Durant’s eye-catching numbers — particularly his 25.3 points per game average last season — and focuses on things often overlooked, particularly his +/- rating. According to Abbott, Durant played 1,683 minutes with Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook (the other two-thirds of OKC’s young core), in which the Thunder were outscored by 245 points. Meanwhile, of the 387 minutes Green and Westbrook played without Durant, Oklahoma City outscored opponents by 12. Abbott compares other scenarios and finds similar results.
Of course, there’s more to basketball than +/-, but Abbott makes a good case for some of the statistics the average fan has never heard of. After all, if Durant’s scoring average was indicitave of what he brings to the all-around table, his team would’ve won more than 23 games last season.
For all the evidence, Abbott isn’t about to write Durant off at age 21. After all, he has plenty of time to work out his kinks, which Abbott at one point describes as “mediocre passing, forcing some shots, turnovers, not making teammates better, and of course bad defense”.
I don’t get the impression Abbott is out to get Durant with this article. Instead, he’s warning Durant how not to go down the same path as so many of the league’s other “superstars” — the types that could play 20 years and not get a taste of the second round of the playoffs.
[...] action after missing time with a knee injury and scored six points in 26 minutes, registering a Kevin Durant-like -18 in the [...]
By: On a positive note, at least the preseason is over… « That's what I'm saying, guy… on October 24, 2009
at 6:20 pm
[...] team with an awesome young core. Kevin Durant has already proven he can score in this league, but can he take his team to the next level? He’s joined by two future stars — Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook — and a [...]
By: Checking in on the Western Conference « That's what I'm saying, guy… on October 26, 2009
at 8:40 pm
[...] Chris Bosh had 21 points and 16 boards but struggled from the field, shooting 6-of-17. Still, he stayed aggressive in the second half, getting to the line 12 times in total. Bosh, Bargnani and Rasho Nesterovic kept Shaq in check too, limiting him to 12 points and seven rebounds. The Big Diesel, actually, was brutal — his six missed shots were from a combined two feet and he spent much of the fourth quarter on the bench. In total, Shaq was a Kevin Durant-esque -25. [...]
By: King Bargnani, Bosh lead Raps to opening win « That's what I'm saying, guy… on October 28, 2009
at 10:29 pm
[...] Chris Bosh had 21 points and 16 boards but struggled from the field, shooting 6-of-17. Still, he stayed aggressive in the second half, getting to the line 12 times in total. Bosh, Bargnani and Rasho Nesterovic kept Shaq in check too, limiting him to 12 points and seven rebounds. The Big Diesel, actually, was brutal — his six missed shots were from a combined two feet and he spent much of the fourth quarter on the bench. In total, Shaq was a Kevin Durant-esque -25. [...]
By: Bargnani, Bosh Lead Raps To Opening Win : T.O. Sports on October 29, 2009
at 10:42 am