Joseph Zucker @@JosephZucker Featured Columnist IV July 29, 2024
Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a day that ends in “y,” so it’s another great time to relitigate the Kevin Durant era for the Golden State Warriors.
Durant responded Monday on X to Keyshawn Johnson, who argued on Undisputed that Paul Pierce would’ve excelled to a similar degree if he had joined the same Golden State team:
Kevin Durant @KDTrey5
If the jets would’ve took Jonathan Ogden, Marvin Harrison, ray lewis or Eddie George number 1 they would’ve been better off……I hate hypotheticals https://t.co/3N6ngC1C3H
In the post, Durant was referencing the New York Jets’ decision to select Johnson with the No. 1 pick in the 1996 NFL draft. New York bypassed multiple future Hall of Famers (Jonathan Ogden, Marvin Harrison, Ray Lewis, Brian Dawkins, Terrell Owens and Zach Thomas) in the process.
In terms of Johnson’s argument, it should largely go without saying the Warriors would’ve been a worse team by substituting Pierce in for Durant.
Pierce’s scoring ability was his greatest asset, yet Durant is a better shooter in terms of efficiency and volume, and his 27.3 points-per-game scoring average is nearly eight points better than Pierce (19.7).
That’s to say nothing of the matchup advantages Golden State created with the 6’11” forward and how much his size was an asset when the Warriors wanted to utilize smaller lineups. Durant’s defense has long been underrated.
More than anything, Johnson’s broad argument and similar viewpoints ignore how badly the Warriors needed KD by the time the 2019 playoffs rolled around. They got pushed to six games by the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets in the first two rounds with him on the floor and then fell into a 3-1 hole to the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals when he was out.
It only took the Warriors a few years to go from an unstoppable force to an aging, top-heavy squad with glaring flaws. Durant was the cheat code to help paper over the cracks, and ignoring that fact does a disservice to his wider legacy.
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