Durant is weird

[ImKobe]

For sure, but among superstars you got plenty of guys still goin strong into their mid 30s. MJ and Kareem did, Duncan, Ray Allen, Nash, Pierce, Dirk, Ginobili, Steph, LeHung.

Theres fewer stars in their 30s at a given time because people are more likely to drop off for random reasons over time. Magic gets AIDS, Bosh gets blood clots, Bird throws his back out repaving his driveway. And some guys just dont feel like playing that long.

But superstars who are healthy and want to keep playing, I dont think their impact typically diminishes BECAUSE of their age by 35.

It does in most cases, they can't produce on the same level. Jordan and Malone won MVPs at 33-35 years old and Jordan was the oldest best player in the league that we've ever seen, but there's still a significant fall off compared to their prime/peak selves.

Kareem finished top 5 in MVP voting at 38 and won Finals MVP which is still the best we've seen out of anyone at that age, but he was a big.

For a non-big in today's era I can't imagine having that kind of longevity. At some point your speed and quickness declines and then you're no longer close to your prime self. Can't accelerate as fast and you don't recover as quickly from games.

[fsvr54]

Im sorry but thats just an inappropriate comment.

It's true though. The thought makes you cream yourself.

[Wardell Curry]

He’s old.

[ArbitraryWater]

It is definitely old in the NBA. If they didn't play so many games it would be much less of an issue.

Its absolutely not.


Both he and LBJ are still spry as hell.

Nothing is holding them back physically, even if the acceleration and lift isnt the same anymore.

All in all their bodies are holding up, as all athletes are doing at this age, across sports.

All the top guys are 30 and under, and dudes becoming superstars in their early 20's is more prevelent today. Yeah guys can sustain great play for longer than previous eras but its still very much a young mans game.

Thats only cause there havent been many other greats in that mid 2010s era besides Bron/KD/Steph.

All 3 can still play at the highest of levels.

You will see all of the current crop, Luka, Jokic, Ant, SGA, Booker, etc. perform at a high level when 35.


35 is NOTHING dude. Times have changed.

[ArbitraryWater]

It does in most cases, they can't produce on the same level. Jordan and Malone won MVPs at 33-35 years old and Jordan was the oldest best player in the league that we've ever seen, but there's still a significant fall off compared to their prime/peak selves.

Kareem finished top 5 in MVP voting at 38 and won Finals MVP which is still the best we've seen out of anyone at that age, but he was a big.

For a non-big in today's era I can't imagine having that kind of longevity. At some point your speed and quickness declines and then you're no longer close to your prime self. Can't accelerate as fast and you don't recover as quickly from games.

lol youre talking about an ancient era.

None of this applies anymore. Anywhere. Doesnt matter what sport.


Ma Long, the greatest table tennis player ever, was born 21 days after Durant.

He just won the World Cup, edging out some of the best competition ever, and is a strong contender for the Olympics again.

Timo Boll, a legend himself, is 41, has beaten several top 10 players en route to several finals while just coming back from injury! At past 40!

This can be seen in every sport.

35 is nothing.

Thats the new reality.

[hold this L]

35 is absolutely nothing in this day and age.

Its just not old anymore.

The RS showed he can play a lot better.

Let me know the high quality players at age 35 across the NBA outside of the 3 that are top 20 all time greats. I'll wait.

[hold this L]

For sure, but among superstars you got plenty of guys still goin strong into their mid 30s. MJ and Kareem did, Duncan, Ray Allen, Nash, Pierce, Dirk, Ginobili, Steph, LeHung.

Theres fewer stars in their 30s at a given time because people are more likely to drop off for random reasons over time. Magic gets AIDS, Bosh gets blood clots, Bird throws his back out repaving his driveway. And some guys just dont feel like playing that long.

But superstars who are healthy and want to keep playing, I dont think their impact typically diminishes BECAUSE of their age by 35.

Difference between going strong and being as good as they were before. You had to go 3-4 decades to start naming players. Duncan at 35 is not the same player as Duncan at 31-32. Allen was an elite role player at 35, Dirk also nowhere near as good compared to early 30s.

[BarberSchool]

Durant looks like he never took a vitamin in his life though.
Son looks like a 6’11” version of those starving distended-belly Namibian kids with EARLY baldness creeping in from malnutrition.

So I think of all the mid-30’s superstars, his physical strength and durability are the most in question. He def ain’t cheating with the same substances LeBron is.

Durant just likes chilling, smoking, and playing ball. But he smokes enough where he’s too chill to a fault. Can be seen as passivity/lack-of-urgency.

[tontoz]

Its absolutely not.


Both he and LBJ are still spry as hell.

Nothing is holding them back physically, even if the acceleration and lift isnt the same anymore.

All in all their bodies are holding up, as all athletes are doing at this age, across sports.




Thats only cause there havent been many other greats in that mid 2010s era besides Bron/KD/Steph.

All 3 can still play at the highest of levels.

You will see all of the current crop, Luka, Jokic, Ant, SGA, Booker, etc. perform at a high level when 35.


35 is NOTHING dude. Times have changed.

Lebron is an anomaly but even he has had injury issues in recent years. He was an iron man until age 33. Since then, not so much.

Steph has fallen off pretty noticably this season. Last year he got off to a hot start, then fell off.

Compare Durant's advanced stats this season to his numbers at age 25 when he won MVP. Not even comparable. When was the last time he was in the MVP conversation?

Those guys were so great at their peak that they are still effective players now. Other players aren't so lucky.

[Jasper]

BBall is wear and tear on the joints specially the knees.

Durant is a freak by nature cause he is 6'10" + in a frame of a SF mentality.

Players that are 6'9" or taller suffer the worst , because this is a height that is not normal.
Kevin, even Giannis have struggled this year , because of the wear and tear.

Kevin should be limited in minutes , but his team can't really do it.

[jayfan]

Not sure why everyone's talking about age. Age has nothing to do with OP's point, which is that he doesn't seem to care.


.

[ArbitraryWater]

Let me know the high quality players at age 35 across the NBA outside of the 3 that are top 20 all time greats. I'll wait.

lol, you really dont get it do you?

Eric Gordon is 35.

Harden is 35 in 4 months.

Butler is 35 in 5 months.

PG is 34.

lillard is 33.

Some of these players played their best basketball in the last couple seasons.

Many other role players that arent slowing down like Bogdanovic, Seth Curry, etc.

All of these guys are or will still be highly serviceable when 35.

Many of these would have retired 15 years ago.

[ArbitraryWater]

Lebron is an anomaly but even he has had injury issues in recent years. He was an iron man until age 33. Since then, not so much.

Steph has fallen off pretty noticably this season. Last year he got off to a hot start, then fell off.

Compare Durant's advanced stats this season to his numbers at age 25 when he won MVP. Not even comparable. When was the last time he was in the MVP conversation?

Those guys were so great at their peak that they are still effective players now. Other players aren't so lucky.

KD stopped being in the MVP conversation when he entered his peak at GSW, so thats a dumb point.

Steph hasnt fallen off "pretty noticeably" at all. The guy is producing at the very same clip he did when he first became MVP. He still has the exact same ability he had 10 years ago.

See the post above and youll see many players "still being so lucky".

It was fun to pretend that Federer had some crazy longevity, but then Nadal came along and did the same thing, Djokovic did it, Brady did it, Hamilton did it, leBron did it, Curry is doing it, Ibrahimovic did it, Ronaldo did it, Messi did it, Ma long did it, Timo Boll did it, these are just the sports I know..

are all of these guys anamolies? Its not just miraculously them being able to perform near their best longer, it happens for lesser players below that too.

KD will be playing basketball for another 7 years or so. Most All-Stars will play at least 20 seasons from this point forward unless they get bored.

[tontoz]

KD stopped being in the MVP conversation when he entered his peak at GSW, so thats a dumb point.

Steph hasnt fallen off "pretty noticeably" at all. The guy is producing at the very same clip he did when he first became MVP. He still has the exact same ability he had 10 years ago.

See the post above and youll see many players "still being so lucky".

It was fun to pretend that Federer had some crazy longevity, but then Nadal came along and did the same thing, Djokovic did it, Brady did it, Hamilton did it, leBron did it, Curry is doing it, Ibrahimovic did it, Ronaldo did it, Messi did it, Ma long did it, Timo Boll did it, these are just the sports I know..

are all of these guys anamolies? Its not just miraculously them being able to perform near their best longer, it happens for lesser players below that too.

KD will be playing basketball for another 7 years or so. Most All-Stars will play at least 20 seasons from this point forward unless they get bored.

Do you even watch the NBA? You think Steph is playing at a MVP level?

If i post this statline and tell you to guess the player, it could be anyone. 26/5/5 with a 61.6% TS. His win shares are less than half what he had in 2016 when he led the league in scoring AND TS.

Did you forget that scoring has exploded leage wide since then?

After the All-Star break this year he is averaging 23 ppg with a 57% TS but that isn't a fall off?

[Carbine]

Yeah not a good look at all to say Curry is the same this season. Dude lost credibility saying that shit.