Kevin Durant' shot at all time scoring leader

[BigKAT]

Honestly, unlike Lebron whom I see becoming more a playermaker in his twilight, I always thought KD has the best chance at overthrowing Kareem as the all time scorer.

Or at least malone.

But if he stays long-term with Golden state, are those chances gone?

I just don't see him averaging more then 23-24 PPG on that team. I think his FG% will be great, but he has to share that rock with curry, and klay.

[Nilocon165]

...Is gone now that he plays with Steph and Klay

[Dragonyeuw]

...Is gone now that he plays with Steph and Klay

Pretty much this. The good thing is his game is the kind that will age gracefully, so he should still get to the 30000 range if he played another 9 years or so, was relatively healthy and maintained a 23-25 average.

Something also tells me that once Durant is established, Klay is going to bolt to another team for a bigger offensive role. I think Durant and Curry both average 25/26 a game( kinda like what Lebron and Wade did their first year) but Klay's scoring will probably dip the most. He may be 18-19 a game, still great for a 3rd option but he's not putting up 20+ on this team with Durant now there.

[swagga]

by the time durant is 33-34 he will start breaking down. Foot injuries in 7 footers are no joke. Lebron is a ****king robot so it's unfair to compare other players to him :lol

[BigKAT]

Pretty much this. The good thing is his game is the kind that will age gracefully, so he should still get to the 30000 range if he played another 9 years or so, was relatively healthy and maintained a 23-25 average.

Something also tells me that once Durant is established, Klay is going to bolt to another team for a bigger offensive role. I think Durant and Curry both average 25/26 a game( kinda like what Lebron and Wade did their first year) but Klay's scoring will probably dip the most. He may be 18-19 a game, still great for a 3rd option but he's not putting up 20+ on this team with Durant now there.

I can see that Klay thing happening if they don't win.
I mean, no one is leaving if they win a few titles in a short span.

30k range might be possible though.

[Dragonyeuw]

I can see that Klay thing happening if they don't win.
I mean, no one is leaving if they win a few titles in a short span.

.

You never know. If GS wins another title(or 2), he may decide to pursue individual glory. Durant's move clearly relegates him to 3rd in the pecking order. Every player in terms of motivations and goals is wired differently. Ultimately we'll see how it all unfolds in the next few years.

[ClipperRevival]

He's got a chance. He's one of the most effortless scorers in history. He'll get 25 in his sleep no matter what team he's on. His game should also age well. It's going to come down to health and whether he can/wants to play into his late 30's.

[Dragonyeuw]

He's got a chance. He's one of the most effortless scorers in history. He'll get 25 in his sleep no matter what team he's on. His game should also age well. It's going to come down to health and whether he can/wants to play into his late 30's.

Yep. Frankly there's no team in the league where he shouldn't be that team's number one option, including Golden State. So he shouldn't have a problem maintaining a 25ppg average for another 7 years at least. As you said, it comes down to number of years left, and his health, more than his scoring output. Even once he's past his physical prime just his shooting ability and height will keep him a 20+ppg scorer. Dirk's lost alot of athleticism but is still capable of 18 at 38. I kind of see Durant in that boat. No reason he can't do at least that if he's around in 10 years.

[BigKAT]

Yep. Frankly there's no team in the league where he shouldn't be that team's number one option, including Golden State. So he shouldn't have a problem maintaining a 25ppg average for another 7 years at least. As you said, it comes down to number of years left, and his health, more than his scoring output. Even once he's past his physical prime just his shooting ability and height will keep him a 20+ppg scorer. Dirk's lost alot of athleticism but is still capable of 18 at 38. I kind of see Durant in that boat. No reason he can't do at least that if he's around in 10 years.

I know what you mean.
I really saw him as -the guy- to eclipse KAJ. But with him joining Golden state I think he might end up as #3 tops.

Say what you will about how awesome of a scorer he is,
A team only scores 100-110 PPG per game. I don't think he can score more then 26-25 PPG espeically in this pass happy GSW.

[L.A.Showtime]

Durant is not the most physically stable. His career may not be long enough to accomplish this.

[Dragonyeuw]

Say what you will about how awesome of a scorer he is,
A team only scores 100-110 PPG per game. I don't think he can score more then 26-25 PPG espeically in this pass happy GSW.

Depends. A scorer of his level you don't just 'integrate' and not allow him to play to his strengths. He'll get his opportunities, even easier than in OKC because Curry commands a double pretty much past the 3 point line and Klay is sitting in the wings ready to take advantage of any defensive breakdown. GS has far too many weapons on the floor for Durant to get too much defensive attention.

[Clifton]

But if he stays long-term with Golden state, are those chances gone?

I just don't see him averaging more then 23-24 PPG on that team. I think his FG% will be great, but he has to share that rock with curry, and klay.
No, this will be like Lebron joining the Heat.

When Lebron joined the Heat I thought he'd become a point forward and that Bosh would lead the team in scoring. (Goes to show how much of a clue I had.) What happened instead? Lebron continued to be option 1 and option 2 and everyone else, being inferior, conformed themselves to Lebron.

Same will happen in Golden State. Curry had a magical year last year but he's not in Durant's tier. Durant will be the 1 option and score 25 a game.

[BigKAT]

No, this will be like Lebron joining the Heat.

When Lebron joined the Heat I thought he'd become a point forward and that Bosh would lead the team in scoring. (Goes to show how much of a clue I had.) What happened instead? Lebron continued to be option 1 and option 2 and everyone else, being inferior, conformed themselves to Lebron.

Same will happen in Golden State. Curry had a magical year last year but he's not in Durant's tier. Durant will be the 1 option and score 25 a game.

You might be right. I wondered what people thought of Lebron joining the Heat and his scoring. Overall he averaged 27 PPG in his 4 seasons there.
Time will tell.

[Dragonyeuw]

No, this will be like Lebron joining the Heat.

When Lebron joined the Heat I thought he'd become a point forward and that Bosh would lead the team in scoring. (Goes to show how much of a clue I had.) What happened instead? Lebron continued to be option 1 and option 2 and everyone else, being inferior, conformed themselves to Lebron.

Same will happen in Golden State. Curry had a magical year last year but he's not in Durant's tier. Durant will be the 1 option and score 25 a game.

That team's potential wasn't maximized until it clearly became Lebron's show, the ball was in his hands, and everyone else assumed a clear pecking order behind him. Bosh had to reinvent himself as a spot shooter, and the Bron/Wade dynamic resolved itself with Wade becoming older/injured and having to play more off the ball.

Durant should blend more naturally into GS's offense just because of the nature of his offensive game. He'll get his opportunities coming off screens, catch and shoots, with periodic clear-out opportunities. He'll play off Curry very easily, whereas Wade and Bosh had to figure out more how to play off Lebron's point-forward nature of playmaking. Durant's shot opportunities will be basically taking all of Barnes' attempts, a couple from Curry and Klay, and a couple from Draymond. Curry's scoring will probably go back to 2015 levels, Klay will probably be around 18-19, and Draymond's scoring opportunities will lessen and he'll take on even more of a 'fill in the blanks' glue guy.

[Steven Kerry]

I don't think he is durable enough.

[Dragonyeuw]

I don't think he is durable enough.

Based on what? Asides from 2015 due to foot injury, and the 2012 lockout year when he played 66 games( the entire season), he's averaged 78 games the other 7 years of his career.

[TheWinningFam]

Bron has a better shot cuz he ain't playing on stacked teams and isn't injury prone. I think if he averages like 26ppg for 5 more years he has it or something close to that

[Steven Kerry]

Based on what? Asides from 2015 due to foot injury, and the 2012 lockout year when he played 66 games( the entire season), he's averaged 78 games the other 7 years of his career.
I think his consistency before the more severe foot injury over inflates that average. Everything after the severe injury is what matters. Derrick Rose's games per season is also inflated because of several healthy years in his early career, but once he was injured, staying consistently healthy was a problem. But we only have a small sample size of Durant post-injury. Durant played a good chunk of games this past year, but 72 is still lower than every season prior to his injury (excluding the lockout season). Yes, that all sounds fine on the surface, but he is missing games at age 27. Like other stats, most players tend to have diminishing games played per year once they leave their prime. Foot problems also get worse with age. If Durant has any residual foot issues, which he likely has some scar tissue that keeps the foot weaker, it is quite possible that he has more issues to deal with regarding his foot as he ages, rather than being the picture of health well into his late 30s. Overall, I think Durant will still be in the league for a while, but not with the health consistency that would be required to pass Kareem in all time scoring.

[Dragonyeuw]

I think his consistency before the more severe foot injury over inflates that average. Everything after the severe injury is what matters. Derrick Rose's games per season is also inflated because of several healthy years in his early career, but once he was injured, staying consistently healthy was a problem. But we only have a small sample size of Durant post-injury. Durant played a good chunk of games this past year, but 72 is still lower than every season prior to his injury (excluding the lockout season). Yes, that all sounds fine on the surface, but he is missing games at age 27. Like other stats, most players tend to have diminishing games played per year once they leave their prime. Foot problems also get worse with age. If Durant has any residual foot issues, which he likely has some scar tissue that keeps the foot weaker, it is quite possible that he has more issues to deal with regarding his foot as he ages, rather than being the picture of health well into his late 30s. Overall, I think Durant will still be in the league for a while, but not with the health consistency that would be required to pass Kareem in all time scoring.

72 isn't bad, especially coming off an injury. The other thing with Rose, he relied much more on his athleticism. We clearly see how diminished athleticism impacted his game( like we saw with Dwight). Durant's game is based on shooting and height, two things unaffected by his foot injury. His game can easily survive an athletic decrease, but he looked about as athletic this year and almost as good as 2015( with little lingering effects from his injury).Rose, OTOH, looks to be done as an elite player. All that said, it's way too soon to say what the foot injury will do for Durant in the coming years.