Next season, around 20 players who were drafted in 2010 or earlier will be active, and seven of them will be in their 18th or more NBA season. These players include LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley, and Al Horford. Also included are former drafted Supersonics teammates Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, who will be playing together again in Houston.
These players’ longevity is incredible, and LeBron and Durant stand out for the numbers they continue to average night after night in the NBA. James and KD are the active players with the most points in the league. James is the all-time leader, and Durant is in eighth place. He has a chance to move up to sixth this season, passing Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki, and maybe even fifth, passing Michael Jordan.
Durant’s Small Forwards Mount Rushmore
Durant’s heading to Houston this season, likely his last stop as he chases a third championship to match legends like Larry Bird, Dwyane Wade, and James Worthy. At 36 now, turning 37 when the season starts, he’s still among the NBA’s top scorers, but recently, it wasn’t his buckets that grabbed headlines-it was his words, as usual.
Chris Henderson asked him to name his Mount Rushmore of small forwards, including himself, leaving room for three more. Without hesitation, Durant rattled off, “LeBron. Kawhi. Larry Bird.”
He might tweak it with more thought, but it feels solid to me, though it leaves out a legend like Scottie Pippen. LeBron’s a no-brainer-Durant’s close friend and fiercest rival, having beaten him twice in the Finals (once by LeBron). Their bond makes it impossible to exclude him.
Kawhi and Bird Join Durant’s Elite List with Compelling Cases
The real chatter starts with Kawhi Leonard and Larry Bird. Arguably the best two-way player of this century, Kawhi has been a thorn in Durant’s side across 39 games. Durant leads the series 22-17 (including 13-9 in the playoffs).
However, Kawhi’s 2019 Finals win stands out. Durant barely played in that series due to an Achilles injury that sidelined him for a whole season. Durant respects Kawhi as a contemporary and has witnessed his brilliance firsthand. Kawhi has won two Defensive Player of the Year awards, joining Ron Artest and Dennis Rodman as the only small forwards with that honor.
Then there’s Larry Bird, a historical giant with three championships, three MVP awards, and two Finals MVP awards, tying with Durant and Leonard. Now with the Rockets, the second-best team in the West last year, expectations are high for his potential swan song. His time with the Suns was disappointing-not individually, but the team struggled, winning only one playoff series in three years and missing the play-in tournament last season. This left a bitter taste for one of the all-time greats.
Read the full article here
