Kevin Durant is being taken for granted!

He's making history and no one's talking about it!

This NBA season has been unbelievable, with incredible performances from some of the best players in the game. Four of the top ten performances in regular season NBA history (since 1984) according to game score, have been performed in this 2022-23 season, with 71 point masterclasses and 60 point triple doubles. But the craziest part is, the best scorer in the game’s season high in points rank as the 47th highest point total in a game. Yet, that hasn’t stopped Kevin Durant from having an historic, record breaking season.

The technical definition of a volume scorer is, ‘a term used to describe a player who makes a high number of scoring attempts in a typical game’. In other words, a guy who puts the ball in the net consistently on a night-by-night basis. With that being said, Durant is the absolute definition of a volume scorer. In fact, the 34 year old is a few good seasons away from getting to the 30,000 point threshold, a stat that only seven have every achieved. Those seven are LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain. Not a bad group of players. This is not something new we have seen from Durant. The 4x leading scorer, 2x NBA champ and former MVP has been a volume scorer for a long time now, and this is not something we didn’t expect. But he continues to become more impressive in his ability to put the ball in the net.

Durant, assuming he finishes the season not playing another regular season game (since Phoenix has already clinched their 4th place in the Western Conference going into the postseason), will become the first player in the NBA’s history to shoot 55% or better from the field, 40% or better from 3pt range, and 90% or better from the free throw line, making 50-40-90 look like a piece of cake. In fact, he will now reach the 50-40-90 efficiency threshold for the third time in his overachieving career, joining Larry Bird and Steve Nash as the only players to achieve the feat.

I know some of you may be saying to yourselves ‘of course he’s shooting efficiently if he’s scoring the basketball at a high rate’. And while this is true, it’s also not. Of course you’re not going to be average 20 points per game on 30% field goal shooting, because that would mean you’re taking by far the most shots for your team. But at the same time, scoring the ball often times means taking a lot of shots, which will put efficiency lower than 50% most of the time. But for Durant, he’s scoring the ball at a top a ten rate, and shooting the ball more efficiently than any other wing in the game. While scoring usually means an at least okay efficiency, visa versa, Durant is scoring the ball and is resulting in an all time great efficiency.

Let’s look at Steve Nash’s most efficient season, and see the volume he was scoring at during his unbelievably efficient season(s). Nash’s most efficient season was in 2008, two seasons after his 2nd MVP award, and in a season where he shot 50% from the field, 47% from three and 90% from the free throw line. In that season he was only taking 11.9 shots per game, and was only making six of them. And this explains why—though he was still an all star averaging a double-double—he was only averaging 16 points per game. Compare that to Durant this season, who is putting up similarly efficient numbers, but is shooting 18 shots a night, while making 10 of them. He nearly makes the amount of shots Nash attempted during Nash’s most efficient campaign.

And this is usually how it works. Usually players are really efficient in almost all aspects because they barley take enough shots to qualify, but don’t have scoring as their primary offensive option, or you’re an absolute bucket that can get your team at least 30 on any night, but would have to take a lot of shots to get there. That is exactly what that article linked earlier about Durant in 2014 explains. Nothing has really changed nine years later.

Nine of the top 12 players in field goals attempted per game shoot under 50% from the field, and even more crazy than that, eight of the top 12 players in field goals made per game are also shooting under 50% from the field. And that shows many players who score the ball at a high volume, need a lot of shots to get there, while Durant, who ranks 21st in field goals attempted per game, ranks 6th in field goals made per game, showing his efficiency isn’t because of his shot selection, or lack there of. Because he’s still making almost as many shots as anybody in the league. Durant is actually the only player on the top 12 list in field goals made that wasn’t on the top 12 list in field goals attempted per game.

This explains why Durant is averaging 29 points per game, 7th in the NBA, on again, the 21st most attempts. This is unprecedented. He is, in my opinion, the most gifted and unstoppable scorer in the NBA. He’s a 6’10 forward with a 7’5 wingspan, who can shoot lethally from outside the ark. Try throwing a smaller guard at him to keep up with his athleticism, and he’ll use his height and shoot right over him. Try throwing a taller guy at him to take away his heigh advantage, and he’ll cross him, use a handle bag that is one of the most deep and underrated in the league and create quick separation for an open look. He is truly an unstoppable scorer.

Some may say ‘if he were unstoppable then why was he shot down by the Celtics last season in the playoffs’? And this is exactly what I thought initially too. However, here’s the difference between Durant and other gifted offensive talents. One, him being ‘shut down’ was when he was averaging 26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists despite in-efficient shooting, but he still showed he can be an insanely dominant volume scorer. But he was still able to keep his team in games because of his gifted abilities overall on the offensive end, and still nearly had a 40 point triple double in the closing game of the series.

But with guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron in their offensive primes, their playoff meltdowns have been much worse than Durant’s because there are ways to completely shut them down, compared to Durant who was just contained. LeBron averaged 17, 7 and 6 in his playoff meltdown, and Giannis shot 45% from the field despite just three, 3ptFG attempts per game in his playoff meltdown. The point is, Durant’s worst is still better than most player’s worst.

I was never the biggest KD fan. I’ve always been more of a Curry guy, and respected him more because of his ability to single handedly lead his team to victory compared to Durant. Also guys like Giannis, Kawhi, etc, who don’t need to join a super-team to win. However, you can’t deny what KD is doing and is going to continue to do. He fits perfectly on this Suns team.

Durant is 8-0 since joining the Suns, averaging less points, just 26 per game, but is shooting 57% from the field and 53% from 3pt range, as he’s getting more open looks next to Booker and Paul as other scoring options. And he has other efficient scoring options like T.J Warren, which is important after Bruce Brown’s 22% 3pt shooting in games 3 and 4 was a key part in the Nets getting swept to Boston last season. This team really has terrific chemistry, and it shows in their record. I don’t see them getting out of the Western Conference because of their lack of play off the bench, but the fact that they can jell that much on their starting, and technically closing lineup should scare other contenders. I wouldn’t count them out from a first ever franchise championship.

As for Durant, this is just one in another season for one of the league’s best scorers ever. If he stays with this kind of role, as just another scoring option next to other guys, he could improve his efficiency up to near 50-40-90 for his career, while averaging 27 points per game for his career. That would be an achievement we have not seen if that happens and won’t see again if it does. Durant is one of the greatest volume scorers of all time and is shooting more efficiently than almost anybody to ever play the game, as he continues to add on to a resume that is almost already full!

Chase Coburn

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