I've had a chance to watch a lot of Durant this season and most recently the game against the Lakers and last night's Rook vs. Soph game. I kept thinking he reminds me of someone, and when Kenny Smith mentioned how impressed he was with Durant's handle, it hit me, Durant reminds me of Lamar Odom. They have the same build, lanky and both have the ability to grab a rebound and take it end to end. Durant is developing into everything Lamar should have been. A dominant scoring forward who takes advantage of his length to finish and can score anywhere on the court.
Kevin Durant is turning in to an absolute stud this season. His numbers have improved all across the board and he's even making strides defensively. I think it's only a matter of time before Durant turns into a 25/10/4 type of guy. He's got all the ability and this season he's shown a much better ability to rebound the ball, and I think that's something he will continue to get better at.
Kevin Durant reminds of Lamar, too. A Lamar who uses his fucking skills and talent. Lamar is chump change compared to Durant. It's unfortunate. I think Durant is just more naturally gifted on offense, too.
The big difference between Lamar and Durant is the shooting. Durant was a phenomenal shooter in college and it's translated well in to the NBA. He can hit from anywhere on the court and do so mostly consistently. LO has never been that good of a jump shooter.
Durant had one of the greatest Freshman seasons ever in College Ball history, LO has wasted his talent but was he ever at KD's level? That's quite a standard.
Odom could dominate like Durant if he cared for basketball. In all honesty, I don't think Odom has a passion for basketball. He is just good at it. He seems more into his clothing line, record label, car shops, and outside deals than he does the NBA.
Word. Even in just 2 years, Durant is already much better than Lamar. I've seen about 6-7 OKC games (all within the past month) and Durant has really stepped it up defensively. The most incredible thing about him is the fact that he's rail-thin. He's listed at about 210 (or something?), but i've heard rumors he's closer to about 195. If he got up to about 225 or 230 can you imagine how many rebounds he'd be grabbing and how much easier he'd get into that paint? Moo's right, it's not hard to see him averaging 27/10/4 one day.
I think it would be hard for Durant to bulk up. He has a body type that makes it hard to bulk. He is extremely tall and lengthy.
Durant really doesn't need to bulk up. They were actually talking about that in the Rookie/Soph game last night. He's going to play the 2/3 his entire career, so he might want to look on to packing on an extra few pounds since he's rail, but he doesn't need much. He's got the ball handling ability and athleticism that he doesn't need to be bigger to continue his effectiveness. Plus, bulking up could slow him down, and if he's going to be a 2/3 his entire career, you don't want that.
I agree, I don't think his frame is designed for added weight. It could lead to joint injuries. Durant makes use of his length so he plays big eventhough he's not bulky.
That kid really is extremely talented, I only wish his talent won't be wasted due to an injury, like McGrady's talent.
perhaps you guys are right, but i still think someone with a 6-11 frame should get up around 10-15 extra lbs. it really won't hurt him all too much.
I'm sure he'll add muscle mass and his body will fill out, and yeah 10lbs wouldn't effect him much at his height.
man I knew KD would be a phenom when he was at U.T.........always said that he was better than Oden in college and that he would be better on the next level......his jump shot is so damn pure..........
I don't think you can really compare Odom and Durant. Durant just possesses so many skills that Odom does not. Ever since PJ got fired, Durant's been on a tear. Durant looked like garbage early in the season. But now with PJ's gone, he has gotten his PPG up to 25.5....but not only that, he got his TS% up to 57.8 TS% (he was down in the low 50's early in the game). So he's not only scoring a lot, but doing it very efficiently. The Blazers have to be kicking themselves for passing on him.
I think Durant reminds me of a TMac (in Orlando) with a higher ceilng. They're both really really lengthy (i had a picture here on JBB 3-4 years ago proving TMac is 6' 9 1/2 -10') with 7 '6' wingspans, they can both score at will, they play decent defense, and both their team are/were crap.
T-Mac was pretty awesome back in Orlando at his peak, and even respectable in his own personal post-season production. His broken down form and playoff troubles in Houston have made people forget about that though. I wouldn't say Durant will have a better prime, but probably better success overall.
