KD ironically will be the only NBA legend that will have his championships used by people to argue against his greatness as opposed to in favor of his greatness.
I meant all of his championships as a whole. Kobe still won two without Shaq and LeBron won championships before the Bubble Ring. KD's the only player where all of his rings negatively impacted how ppl view his career
I think KD’s legacy isn’t complicated at all: One of the greatest combinations of talent and genetics we’ve ever seen. A hard worker as well. But, he was never mentally tough or capable of being a leader.
This right here is facts, KD had the stats, he had the teammates, he had the game, OP said the warriors was the most logical move is crazy teams such as clippers at that time, Atlanta, etc could have shown how he could lead a team
@@isaiaheto799The Hawks were in purgatory at the time. Why would he have gone there? The Clippers weren't the best option either due to CP3 and Blake's health. The Spurs were already full. The Celtics or the Warriors were his best options at the time.
That's what happens when you join an already stacked team in order to get your chips. Not to mention it was the team that bounced him from the playoffs that previous post-season.
Whats the last "stacked" team with their start 5 line up filled by 5 drafted players on last 4 years to win a championship? Not mention HC that never coach a drible in his life. If this team was drafted today, 99% of people would be asking to trade Curry, Thompson, Green and 4 1st round future picks for Lauri Markkanem...
@@YL2019 Before... They only drafted Curry because Knicks refuse Minnesota propose to switch their pick 6 to Knicks pick 8, after Rubio Pick. At this point, Knicks, that are in love for Curry, were very sure that Wolves would not draft another guard (and they were wrong). Warriors even were an issue as they never would draft a point guard with Ellis on prime (and they were punished for two blunders in a row).
not to mention that golden state had alr won a championship before him and won 73 games the year before he joined. So golden state’s nucleus remained intact and he just jumped on their bandwagon
Sadly what hurt KDs legacy was winning chips with another team. Leading OKC to 1 chip would’ve meant more. Then Draymond berated him by telling him that they basically used him to win 2 additional chips. Then GS won 1 AFTER he left. It’s unfortunate because KD should go down as top 10 all time.
Still to this day, Dirk's 1 chip means more than all 4 of lebron's chips combined together. What's even better is that Dirk stayed in Dallas his whole life.
@@robertsmith2088 nah you are delusional, LeBron going back to Cleveland and getting that chip back home brought everything full circle. Dirk isn't in the same conversation as LeBron, what a bait comment
@@frag2587 Didn't say Dirk was better, just said that Dirk's one ring means more than any of Lebron's chips combined. There was no controversy at all behind Dirk's 1 ring for one second. Whereas there has been controversy behind everyone of Lebron's rings.
Imagine joining a guy that defeated you. Can't win without the guy, while the guy wins twice without you with the last win against a team that SWEPT you 😂
@@sorcierenoire8651 yeah sure he can. kevin is by most advanced stats and metrics the better player. the narrative of leadership and killer mentality are most insufferable notions in the nba. ever since that team has been together draymond has been the leader - inot that it matters because it doesn't but kevin is objectively better than steph yet he's been facing the most slander. it takes talent, a cohesive supporting cast, insane luck and sometimes even injuries to win an title.
This lacks context. The guy that defeated him (ONE time in both their careers) requested KD to join him when Lebron defeated him the next series. That same guy got his first championship by defeating an injured team (something KD didnt get the luxury of having his first finals trip). Even less context in your last point about the Celtics loss. KD had a horrid coach that season and he was the 7th seed. The Nets would've been out of the playoffs had KD not came back from injury to carry that team to the playoffs that year. Everybody was hoping like hell that the Nets missed to playoffs so they can trash KD, but he still made the playoffs despite Steve Nash coaching them out of the 2nd seed when KD ended up out of the lineup.
My question is why did Durant hate Nash when he begged for the Nets to hire him. Durant is always using excuses instead of he is the reason why the team is failing
Things change. Durant and Nash probably were close during the Golden State years and thought he would be a good coach. (Or he thought he would opt into playing KD's style). As we all know now, Nash sucks as a coach.
@@jaffrry5120 kevin durant has never been a good evaluator of someones talent or ability. thats why he has had 2 failed superteams since golden state but when a team puts pieces around him without his input they are much more successful
@@walterreed5849 yeah which is why he has always failed when it comes to these stuff. What he wanted in Brooklyn just won't cut it anymore for a championship. They could have won with raw talent but it wouldn't have been feasible going forward.
You’re really smoking that pack. Your argument about KD needing the Warriors as much as they need him falls flat when you consider that Warriors won chips before and after KD. KD has not. Furthermore, Klay also got injured in the 2019 NBA finals. It wasn’t just Durant. The way you’re telling the narrative makes it seem like the Warriors were scrubs until KD came to ‘save’ their legacy when it was the other way around.
Warriors 1st chip without KD: Lebron with injured team. KD never got the luxury of an injured team in the finals Warriors 2nd chip withou KD: Lebron wasnt on the opposing team. Very next season they faced a 38 year old Lebron without KD in the playoffs and LOST.
@@smoothsavage2870 I don’t even know where to begin… First of all, injuries and suspensions are part of the game. I made the point that Klay also got injured in 2019, because the way the creator made it seem, KD going down was THE reason why the Warriors were losing. Obviously having KD is better than not, but it wasn’t just him going down that meant the warriors lost the chip. Like I said, they were dealing with other injuries. Secondly, what does KD not having the “luxury” of not facing an injured team have to do with anything? KD has been in Super Teams for various seasons throughout the years and hasn’t even reached the final after leaving the Warriors. The fact remains that he hasn’t won a championship outside of the Warriors. If he were so good as this video makes him out to be, he should at least have a finals appearance. As for 2023, anyone that watched that series will say that AD was the player that made the difference, not LeBron. Stop meat riding. You make it seem like LeBron is the Warriors stopper. They didn’t even make the playoffs that year, so I don’t know what you wanted him to do.
@@Arponare Injuries arent alway a part of the game. Everybody doesnt get to benefit from them like Steph did in 2015. If injuries were a "part of the game" everyone would benefit equally. They dont. KD would've been a champ in 2012 if he got lucky enough to face Lebron with 2 members of his championship core injured. KD does have a finals appearance without the Warriors btw. He was in the 2012 finals. Lebron beat Steph again on a less powerful team than the Cavs in 2023. He's a Warrior destroyer so long as his own team is healthy and KD aint on the Warriors roster. KD definitely save their legacy. They'd have been known as the only team to blow a 3-1 lead in the finals. They got crap about that the whole offseason, even after KD signed there. Nobody saw KD as "just a luxury" until after the Warriors starting destroying teams in the playoffs in 2017.
Kevin Durants move to golden state was not logical. It was anti competitive. Even now, eight whole years later, it IS the weakest move by a franchise player, a superstar ever made. And it doesn’t matter how many years pass along, it is STILL the weakest move by a superstar ever. He jumped to a team that went 73 - 9. He jumped to the best team in the league, he jumped to a team that had the 1st ever unanimous MVP in league history. He jumped to a team that was literally one game from repeating as champions. Kevin knew what he was doing just like the warriors knew what they were doing when they asked him to come. Weak. Kevin is still a great player no doubt but the move to the warriors was assembling the avengers, nobody was beating that.
@@duangc3280 Let’s straighten this up. The next year after Wade won his chip which was 06 - 07 the Miami heat finished with a regular season record 44 - 38 whilst being CLEAN swept in the first round of the playoffs. 07 - 08 The Miami heat finished with a record of 15 - 67 likely due to Wade being injured. They didn’t even make the playoffs. 08 - 09 The Miami Heat finished with 43 - 39 losing in the first round of the playoffs in a seven game series to the ATL hawks. Then in 09 - 10 the Miami Heat finished with a record 47 - 35 losing ONCE AGAIN in the first round in a gentlemen’s sweep to the Boston Celtics. As you can see with FACTS what lebron did compared to Kevin Durant is nowhere near the same thing playa.
Kd is that guy you want on your team for the finals his regular season won’t be well acknowledged but his play off performance ends with finials mvp. GSW Durant was the best player.
That 2021-22 season was just humiliation for KD. Irving being an idiot, Harden getting his fat suit ready again, and Curry getting cheers and MVP chants in his own stadium. And Curry won another chip and a FMVP without KD
Curry also scored majority of his points when warriors were up 10 kd scored when the6 were tied or down unlike the choker curry who can only score when there is no pressure 😂
KD has changed the game with his influence of how to smash the league in shooting, dribbling and scoring if you are in the tall of the center i think this influenced many tall players who doesn't want to play like old center player, the next generation of the players will always respect and appreciate KD playing his game like Wembanyama, KD really changed the game for those players
It’s crazy to think that the Golden State Warriors are the ONLY team that fully unlocked KD’s potential as an elite player yet he did not even try to recreate that with another team, Imagine playing to a system that suits your offensive playstyle yet you do not want to utilize nor try to adapt some of the plays you learned. It puts into perspective how GSW and Steve Kerr’s style of playing is and forever will be one of the greatest style of playing ball alongside the likes of Coach Pop, Coach Phil, and many others.
You forget to add one thing that Curry is probably the best enabler of such system to apply. His constant and relentless offball movement with the capacity to draw opps defenders to overreact,, with his willingness to randomly set screens, not holding the ball too long and a very willing passer. Not many stars playing such a brand of basketball that makes other players thrive to their best ability, generating so many easy points. Kerr-Curry-Green is such a deadly combo for how they managed to unlock the best ability of each other, creating a foundation of a team that can't truly be replicated even until now I'd acclaim.
I fault KD for leaving OKC after being up 3-1 against Golden State. However, the cheap ass billionaire owner should’ve paid the luxury tax to keep him, Harden, and Westbrook together. That was our Thunder best chance at winning a title. Hopefully, SGA can get us there now.
as it explained by the video, the way OKC playing their stars is so bad, that's why Durant move to GSW was the best move as a player ever, even if Durant stays in OKC they will wash Durant and Westbrook. seing SGA OKC doing well i think OKC GM learn from the mistake they made during KD, Westbrook, Harden era.
@@quintusdiast3477nah bro you can't talk like that , Every season is a chance to revaluate your mistakes and climb back to the top but sadly for KD, He left OKC when he was pretty close to giving them a title and went to a ready made warriors team!!! OKC literally had that X Factor to win a championship with him buh he gave up on them and now literally people hate him for joining the warriors😢
@@chronostv2071 KD took OKC to the finals, conf finals twice. it seems OKC can't build a championship team around KD. and look OKC post KD not even contender, until they rebuild the whole roster.
@@KobeBryant-m9yur first to find out check out the other videos im trying to do this every time cause i wanna see if I don’t comment what people will say but i need people to see first
We all know how impactful Durant is during that GSW days. He just fits, everything he does compliments the team. And that team up will be one of the best team up we will ever see.
KD missed most of 2019 postseason, including Finals. The KD warriors only decided the outcome in 2017 & 2018. While KD is soft, lebron ruined more nba seasons than Durant ever did
@melvinhhcp3615 any super team he was on was never at the level or warriors with KD, they were already a 70+ win team with 3 elite players and KD decided to join cause he wanted a easy route to rings, atleast LeBron worked his ass off to get his. KD had easy shots cause other teams had the splash brothers and Draymond in the paint to worry about
@@TheKingOfAmalek already stacked?? It was Wade and Bosh in 2011, no real bench, and a 1st round exit in 2010 that's it, far from a superteam, stop acting like he joined Boston or something
Man I know people hate that he went to the Warriors but KDs play style was made for that Warriors team. You could tell right away that KD was in his element
@@judyclarkson5887 Kareem & Oscar only played 4-5 years together at the beginning of the 70's, ending in 74. Steph himself didn't win multiple titles until he got KD. So idk what you're referring to.
The commentary on 2019 is just flat out wrong. Klay was also injured in that series, as well as Looney, and missed game 3 while clearly being hobbled in game 4, before tearing his ACL in the 3rd quarter of game 6 while the warriors were in the ascendancy. Theres a strong argument that the warriors win in 2019 without KD if they dont suffer multiple injuries. And this is without getting to replace KD on the roster with even a league average small forward. KD made the warriors unbeatable, but he was not the MVP of that team. It was always Steph (and Draymond) that made the team go.
Im KD fan my favorite player in the league I thought this was a fair assessment of his legacy so far but Kd is definitely going to go down as the best basketball Olympian ever that's for sure
So Klay didn't get injured in 2019 too you don't have to diminish the people around KD to raise him up.... KD is great for sure but he still has to prove it
@@ziegfeld4131 KD has only won with the warriors plus him going there is viewed as one of the weakest moves in the leagues history... He is a top 10 talent no doubt but he definitely still has something to prove... He needs to prove he can win without a super team... I respect KD though what I don't like about this video is it's trying to diminish Steph, Klay, Draymonds contributions they were not role players on that squad... KD is great but let's not take away from the warriors to cement his legacy
KD legacy genuinely intrigues me because like someone said I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player in arguably any sport win 2 chips and that he held AGAINST the way it’s been held against KD.
Never forget how Toronto was cheering when durant got hurt with an injury. They knew that because he got hurt. They were going to win, but with KD they had no chance.
No sh*t lmao Imagine thinking a team with Kawhi and a bunch of role players could've won against Curry-KD-Klay-Green. Toronto fans were cheering because the field became more even 🤷🏻♂️
@@skyh2394 That's petty. The guy got injured. No excuse to cheer for it. Imagine making this excuse when the Toronto players themselves shut the whole crowd up for cheering.
I feel like when talking about the 2019 finals, what they glossed over was that Klay was also hurt before he went out for good in the game 6. I think if Klay had been healthy the whole series, they would have won even without KD.
KD legacy is cemented. Best scorer in nba history, no one comes close especially at that height. It was his choice to join Warriors and took over playoffs/Finals. Some players are just pure hoopers but not born leaders. Appreciate greatness when hes still here ballin!
73-9 team that also is the only team to blow a 3-1 lead in the finals. It's so hilarious to me that people forget that part of it. I remember like it was yesterday. People had SOOOO many jokes like this: "Today is the last day of August. The last day of August is the number 31. Put a hypen between 3 and 1 and you get 3-1. Never forget that the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead." The only thing the killed those dumb repetitive jokes IMMEDIATELY (that very well may have lasted years) was KD joining them. Then everybody forgot about the blown 3-1 lead because Stephen A Smith made the 73-9 record the focal point of the KD slander.
@@smoothsavage2870 yea that’s true. Shame that people think the Warriors were this great dynasty when it came down to pure dumb luck on their end at LeBron’s expense. 2015 Kevin Love getting his shoulder ripped out of his socket in the first round followed by Kyrie’s knee cap cracking in half at the end of game 1 in the Finals. Then Durant joining the Warriors. When you know had it been the other way around and LeBron won under those circumstances people would’ve been asterisking the hell out of those championships
@@williamtoad8040 Fair point. The way this all played out, somebody's legacy was going to take a hit regaredless. If KD never joins the Warriors, we likely dont even care about Steph the same way we do now and Lebron has 6 rings at this point in his career. The Lebron stans would never shut up about him finally having a true GOAT case (despite not really working for it). But KD sacrificed his legacy to get payback on Lebron for an unfair series in 2012 and the media spun it on him instead of seeing it as an "eye for an eye" scenario. Thems the breaks i guess.
The description of the 2019 finals is very very inaccurate. That was a Warriors team with no depth (which they traded for KD) and multiple games without Klay Thompson. The Warriors were simply outmatched, despite Stephen Curry putting up 47 in a loss. If 2022 Andrew Wiggins was on the court, the Warriors may have won. Any summary of the Warriors that says KD was their best player isn’t accurate
So you're trying to tell us that the depth that they let walk for KD in 2016 wasnt replenished after 3 seasons? Sounds like BS. Andrew Wiggins wasnt stopping Kawhi Leonard that year. And KD was their best player. They to this day havent beaten Lebron (and a healthy team) without KD. They just lost to him in 2023. And Lebron is effing OLD. They STILL lost to him.
@jdapaul1351 Lebron to thr heat is nothing like KD to GSW. I can tell you either young, dumb, or both. KD went to a team that went 73-9, with the ONLY EVER unanimous MVP in Steph and already had a title and was 1 game away from a repeat. His weak ass left after he blew a 3-1 lead too. Lebron NEVER EVER had a team like KD had with 3 MVP's on it in Cleveland. Never. Lebron waited way too long for Cleveland to get their shit together. Hell, he even went back and got them one once he became the GM basically. Comparing KD's move when he had all the pieces already to win and just needed to man up and get it done to Trash ass Cleveland is laughably ignorant.
@@kerrydaniels8460you bring up a lot of good points but if we're talking about the move itself how is what Durant did any different than LeBron going on live TV to rip the entire city of Cleveland's heart out?
@@MazeDaGr8Durant moved to a team that just absolutely beat them down 3-1 and his team actually tried to build around him. OKC wasn't ideal by any means but it was not nearly as bad as Lebron's cavs before the decision. LeBron essentially 1v5 every game and Cleveland wasted away years of his career.
I don't think his legacy is tarnished - I just don't think folks think he really was ever at the level as a leader like LeBron and Curry. Folks want to pretend like after 2016 the Dubs weren't going to be contenders if nothing changed...of course they were. B2B finals, best regular season record in history, 2xMVP as Curry was easily the best player in the NBA those 2 seasons. Durant didn't make them contenders, they were already that and if anything favorites.....he made them unstoppable. In the end Durant benefited just as much from Curry as every other player on that team and thats fine. Curry was more than happy to enable Durant in order to win chips, thats why he is a leader. More than any of that though, the Warriors were and will always be Curry's team. That wasn't ever going to change, and it seemed Durant wasn't happy with that.
Curry's not a leader though. Never has been. Draymond has always been the leader of the Warriors. Had Curry been the leader, there are a lot of situations with Draymond that would've been handled by Steph. For instance all the nut kicks Draymond did in 2016 that led to him getting ejected in the finals. You dont allow a player to run rampant like that if you're a leader.
The conversation around basketball legacies has gotten so toxic that players can't even succeed without criticism anymore. KD is one of the greatest to touch a ball nobody can dispute that fact. That's all that matters to me as a fan.
@@t.bo.e2487if you mean by struggle is getting to 4 finals winning 2 and losing 2 of them so be it. We all know as well that 2019 finals they didn't only lose Kd. As they also lost Klay. A detail that Kd's apologists and fanboys love to ignore. In fact Klay didn't play on that series game 3 too other than that tragic acl injury in game 6. That series against the Raptors was 2-2 when Curry got Klay on his side. They lost the other 2 gms when Klay didn't play the whole game (game 3) and didn't finish the game due to injury (game 6).
@@t.bo.e2487now compare that to Kd's one single finals trip in his 13 seasons in total when he didn't play with them GS. That's what I would call as a 'struggle' in fact instead of them GS without Kd. Lol
Nothing complicated about it. This guy gave ya'll 15+ years of excellent ball and all we do is complain. Look at the ppg. Look at the finals stats and the playoff stats. He is a certified baller and all we can do is bitch about it. It's quite crazy.
Nothing wrong with complaining about the most important thing, winning. Him being elite for 15 years doesn't excuse that he joined a 73w team with a x2 MVP, a DPOY and overall x3-4 allstars that beat HIM the same year in the playoffs.
@@skyh2394 Were you around when the Warriors blew that 3-1 lead in the finals? Can you tell me what the narratives were when they blew that 3-1 lead in the weeks prior to KD joining them? A lot of you fail to remember how the Warriors got clowned after that series. KD stopped all the dumb repetitive jokes almost immediately.
no they are not 😭 lebron wade and bosh formed a team that wasn’t established kd joined a team that HE blew a 3-1 lead against the year and they were already established and went to 2 finals b2b and lebron had no choice but to leave a dysfunctional cavs franchise that continued to fail to make a contending team around him
@@bigblackmonkey3 Wade was the 3rd player in MVP voting the right behind Bron and Kobe. He had already won a championship. Let’s not forget Bosh was averaging 23 points,almost 10 rebounds and 3 times all star and an old Ray Allen but who is top 75 players and top 10 shooting guard of all time just behind MJ, Kobe, Wade and Iverson. You can’t bring any sort of excuses about them not being a super team. There is 82 games in season, they have plenty of time to practice behind the scenes, have access to the best facilities and coaches. They lost to an old Dirk, they didn’t also didn’t manage to sustain the winning streak. In Lebron’s words: “not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7,..” how did that go?
@@EA-dweller i never made an excuse of that heat team not being a superteam but let’s also not forget wade and bosh scoring averages were going down each season and bosh’s rebounds also went down and why are you making it seem like ray allen wasn’t washed at the time just because he’s a top 10 sg doesn’t change the fact that he was washed, kds move to the warriors is not in the same category as lebrons move to the heat, yes they were both superteams but kd joined a team that went 73-9 the year before signing with them and it was also the same team that he blew a 3-1 lead to
To me KD’s main problem was after the Warriors he had the awful Achilles injury, then underwhelmed on Brooklyn and Phoenix. So people more so remember him as selling out to get a ring, then always underwhelming in the playoffs, as opposed to his dominant Thunder years.
KD was never underwhelming in BK. His best year in BK (2021), his team was injured (Giannis injured one of his teamates personally). It was KD vs Giannis, MIddleton and Jrue that year. The next season the team imploded for multiple reasons and KD still played great in spite of that.
They want you to forget that Warriors literally went on winning streaks after KD injury. The only reason they didn't win the finals that year was because Klay got injured. They are trying so hard to push the "warriors need KD" narratives 😂 nice try
I always said that. Kds career was so unlucky. Just imagine he never got injured, he would probably 3 peat with 3 FMVPs in a row. Or imagine his toe wasn't on the line, the Nets would have gone all the way imo. Wouldn't be surprised if he got another MVP in those years. Kd is a Top 15 player all time already, but the fact that he could be considerd a borderline Top 3-5 player of all time if he was a little bit more lucky is kinda sad.
Most of the 🏀 world never respected his GS titles. I do not think a 3rd woulda helped change. As for nets they lost kyrie so i dont think KD and a hobbled harden would have beat suns
Honestly Kevin was the best on the Warriors, I really wished he didn’t leave for Brooklyn the Warriors would’ve probably have won at least like 5 Championships if Kevin stayed on the Warriors❤
KD should’ve never went to Golden State the way he did. But it was also his best situation and running mate. He should’ve stayed 10 toes down in his decision, never left and become a Bay Area Legend .
Talent of a Top 20 all time. Maybe even Top 10. But those chips will always have the shadow of being a weak move. And I think its right that fact counts against his legacy honestly
Kd definitely could've had a shot being considered in the goat conversation, no matter how good he is we all know the community doesnt like superstars going to superteams, and yet kd has done it three times. If he had even just stayed with okc and not win a ring, he would most likely be more respected that way compared to his current legacy
Thing is I love watching KD play. He’s so smooth and just a great shooter but I just felt he was doing a lot of whining. He’s definitely top ten no doubt. He’s just the one guy whose chips will be used against him which is crazy!!!!!!
There's no denying that KD is an amazing player and one of the BEST, but he isn't one of the GREATEST in my eyes because he only ever joined superteams. His play was amazing at GSW but you could argue that any top tier player dropped into a 73-9 team suited to them with the only ever unanimous MVP would perform similarly.
KD going to 4 WCF and a finals with Russ as his co star makes Russ look really good now considering he hasn’t gone far in the playoffs after leaving the warriors
KD is unequivocally one of the greatest NBA players of all time. However, such trade to the overpowered Warriors might seem coward for KD, I reckon KD was extraordinarily performing in those years and his accolades & prowess are to behold.
7:30 Rockets did not miss 28 straight, if you watched the whole game Harden made a 3 with a foul but the refs waived it, the same shot klay made but was counted in by the refs.
Despite how mad I was and how weak it was when he went to the Warriors, there’s no denying that he is one of the greatest talents that the sport of basketball has ever seen. His legacy was definitely ruined by that move, there’s no denying his talent.
This video honestly hit the nail on the head. KD is without a doubt a phenomenal scorer… OKC let him down with trading Harden. Their system was good, but wasn’t that effective. Like seriously, how do they have a guy like Andre Roberson who consistently airballs 3s at the SG position. His move to GSW was weak, but it brought out some of the best basketball KD has ever played. His assist numbers were up, he found his defensive role as a helpside rim protector that even carries on till today in PHX. I totally agree with the video that the lack of success in Brooklyn wasn’t entirely his fault. Kyrie refusing to get vaccinated and play, Harden refusing to stay in shape. He practically willed the Bucks series to OT in game 7. Sadly, the fact of the matter is that his legacy is still stained. Not sure how his time in PHX will conclude, but I hope he cleans it up. He really is one of the most skilled players in NBA history, it would be a shame to have his accolades not reflect it.
Amazing player for sure. One of a kind but career management.. that part was pretty rocky for him. Still one of the greats. People are needlessly hating on this guy imo :D
This is not to put KD down, not in the least. But the main reason he was so unusually efficient for the Warriors in the Finals was because Cleveland was focusing all their attention on Curry. Curry and Thompson profitted off of him too of course, but KD specifically was the one who gained the most out of that partnership by a good margin.
This argument falls apart when you look at how well KD was at scoring in the 2012 finals without Steph. Which is literally mentioned in the video. All KD needed was better floor spacers than Russ and Harden (at the time). Compared to the 2012 finals, KD's efficiency was only 1 percent higher with the Warriors in 2017 and dropped to 53% in the 2018 finals. KD was going to get his numbers with his efficiency REGARDLESS.
@@smoothsavage2870 Efficiency isn't telling the whole story here. He can be similarly efficient in both instances but still have an easier time in one. Take that infamous fastbreak dunk where the defense runs out to Curry to prevent the three, allowing Durant to just dunk it. He would've finished with two points either way, a fastbreak layup against one defender is still an almost guaranteed make, but one is obviously easier than the other. This is also somewhat evident in the stats. Durant shot way better from three in his Warrior finals appearances and averaged a lot less turnovers than he did with OKC, while also doing a lot more rebounding.
@@tormentor91 KD had some easier looks at times with the Warrior because there was more spacing on that team. It wasnt solely Steph. In OKC he had to work harder because there he had Russ who was a terrible shooter and Harden who hadnt hit his prime yet.
@@smoothsavage2870 I'm not disagreeing on that point, but if you give Russ an okay jumpshot not much will change for KD in OKC, because he is still the biggest threat by far. Most teams would still rather give a solid shooter an open look than have KD shoot from anywhere in any situation But on the Warriors it was different. Most teams would rather see Durant shoot than Curry. That is not to diminish Durant, but especially in the context of the Warriors, you're not going to win by trying to contain Durant, you're going to win by containing Curry.
KD ironically will be the only NBA legend that will have his championships used by people to argue against his greatness as opposed to in favor of his greatness.
Lebron in 2020,and kobe's first 3 chips...
I meant all of his championships as a whole. Kobe still won two without Shaq and LeBron won championships before the Bubble Ring. KD's the only player where all of his rings negatively impacted how ppl view his career
Damn... thats deep.
KD will not win another chip as a Primary scoring option
@@nathanchimwendo5755he may or may not be 36
I think KD’s legacy isn’t complicated at all: One of the greatest combinations of talent and genetics we’ve ever seen. A hard worker as well. But, he was never mentally tough or capable of being a leader.
This right here is facts, KD had the stats, he had the teammates, he had the game, OP said the warriors was the most logical move is crazy teams such as clippers at that time, Atlanta, etc could have shown how he could lead a team
Ya exactly, some ppl have a hard time getting that
@@isaiaheto799The Hawks were in purgatory at the time. Why would he have gone there? The Clippers weren't the best option either due to CP3 and Blake's health. The Spurs were already full. The Celtics or the Warriors were his best options at the time.
@urbaindelva7869 hawks were 60-22 in the 2014-2015 season tho with guys like Kyle korver Al Harford, Jeff Teague, and Paul milsap
you seem complicated, you didnt mention injuries or unfortunate circumstances at all
That's what happens when you join an already stacked team in order to get your chips. Not to mention it was the team that bounced him from the playoffs that previous post-season.
Right ✅️
Whats the last "stacked" team with their start 5 line up filled by 5 drafted players on last 4 years to win a championship? Not mention HC that never coach a drible in his life.
If this team was drafted today, 99% of people would be asking to trade Curry, Thompson, Green and 4 1st round future picks for Lauri Markkanem...
@@YL2019 Before... They only drafted Curry because Knicks refuse Minnesota propose to switch their pick 6 to Knicks pick 8, after Rubio Pick. At this point, Knicks, that are in love for Curry, were very sure that Wolves would not draft another guard (and they were wrong). Warriors even were an issue as they never would draft a point guard with Ellis on prime (and they were punished for two blunders in a row).
not to mention that golden state had alr won a championship before him and won 73 games the year before he joined. So golden state’s nucleus remained intact and he just jumped on their bandwagon
Sadly what hurt KDs legacy was winning chips with another team. Leading OKC to 1 chip would’ve meant more. Then Draymond berated him by telling him that they basically used him to win 2 additional chips. Then GS won 1 AFTER he left. It’s unfortunate because KD should go down as top 10 all time.
I definitely was happy when Steph got ANOTHER one without KD and KD hasn't gotten any. It cemented Steph as a top ten player of all time and KD top 20
Still to this day, Dirk's 1 chip means more than all 4 of lebron's chips combined together.
What's even better is that Dirk stayed in Dallas his whole life.
@@robertsmith2088 nah you are delusional, LeBron going back to Cleveland and getting that chip back home brought everything full circle. Dirk isn't in the same conversation as LeBron, what a bait comment
@@frag2587 Didn't say Dirk was better, just said that Dirk's one ring means more than any of Lebron's chips combined.
There was no controversy at all behind Dirk's 1 ring for one second. Whereas there has been controversy behind everyone of Lebron's rings.
@@robertsmith2088 your hate on lebron makes you dumb and stupid... dirk's 1 ring is better than 4 rings of lebron??????? what a stupid take.....
2010-2019 was peak kd
I’d say 2013-2019, but he’s the most efficient he’s ever been rn
2013-2021 dont forget that WCF performance against bucks
@@toogeekoffda800you mean the semi finals.
@@toogeekoffda800Eastern Conference Semifinals
2011-2023
KD was such a good all around scorer, he could score from almost anywhere. he remains one of the greatest players of all time.
Was and could? Why the past tense? He still is and still can
@@MDCxThePG I meant at his PRIME prime, but he is still such a good player
@@HendrickAdams weirdly, his numbers are basically all still the same since his MVP years.
bro
No he is not.
Imagine joining a guy that defeated you.
Can't win without the guy, while the guy wins twice without you with the last win against a team that SWEPT you 😂
Curry is just got luck on his side, kd doesn’t
@@JyDaOne1Curry can lead a team. KD can’t. Simple as.
@@sorcierenoire8651 yeah sure he can. kevin is by most advanced stats and metrics the better player. the narrative of leadership and killer mentality are most insufferable notions in the nba. ever since that team has been together draymond has been the leader - inot that it matters because it doesn't but kevin is objectively better than steph yet he's been facing the most slander.
it takes talent, a cohesive supporting cast, insane luck and sometimes even injuries to win an title.
@@JyDaOne1Bruh respectfully how old are you?? Or atleast approx age.
This lacks context. The guy that defeated him (ONE time in both their careers) requested KD to join him when Lebron defeated him the next series. That same guy got his first championship by defeating an injured team (something KD didnt get the luxury of having his first finals trip).
Even less context in your last point about the Celtics loss. KD had a horrid coach that season and he was the 7th seed. The Nets would've been out of the playoffs had KD not came back from injury to carry that team to the playoffs that year.
Everybody was hoping like hell that the Nets missed to playoffs so they can trash KD, but he still made the playoffs despite Steve Nash coaching them out of the 2nd seed when KD ended up out of the lineup.
My question is why did Durant hate Nash when he begged for the Nets to hire him. Durant is always using excuses instead of he is the reason why the team is failing
Things change. Durant and Nash probably were close during the Golden State years and thought he would be a good coach. (Or he thought he would opt into playing KD's style). As we all know now, Nash sucks as a coach.
@@jaffrry5120sucks? What are you on?
@@jaffrry5120 kevin durant has never been a good evaluator of someones talent or ability. thats why he has had 2 failed superteams since golden state but when a team puts pieces around him without his input they are much more successful
@@thedarkfrost2351what are YOU on? Did u not see what happened that season?
@@walterreed5849 yeah which is why he has always failed when it comes to these stuff. What he wanted in Brooklyn just won't cut it anymore for a championship. They could have won with raw talent but it wouldn't have been feasible going forward.
You’re really smoking that pack. Your argument about KD needing the Warriors as much as they need him falls flat when you consider that Warriors won chips before and after KD. KD has not. Furthermore, Klay also got injured in the 2019 NBA finals. It wasn’t just Durant. The way you’re telling the narrative makes it seem like the Warriors were scrubs until KD came to ‘save’ their legacy when it was the other way around.
Warriors 1st chip without KD: Lebron with injured team. KD never got the luxury of an injured team in the finals
Warriors 2nd chip withou KD: Lebron wasnt on the opposing team. Very next season they faced a 38 year old Lebron without KD in the playoffs and LOST.
@@smoothsavage2870 I don’t even know where to begin… First of all, injuries and suspensions are part of the game. I made the point that Klay also got injured in 2019, because the way the creator made it seem, KD going down was THE reason why the Warriors were losing. Obviously having KD is better than not, but it wasn’t just him going down that meant the warriors lost the chip. Like I said, they were dealing with other injuries.
Secondly, what does KD not having the “luxury” of not facing an injured team have to do with anything? KD has been in Super Teams for various seasons throughout the years and hasn’t even reached the final after leaving the Warriors. The fact remains that he hasn’t won a championship outside of the Warriors. If he were so good as this video makes him out to be, he should at least have a finals appearance.
As for 2023, anyone that watched that series will say that AD was the player that made the difference, not LeBron. Stop meat riding. You make it seem like LeBron is the Warriors stopper. They didn’t even make the playoffs that year, so I don’t know what you wanted him to do.
@@Arponare Injuries arent alway a part of the game. Everybody doesnt get to benefit from them like Steph did in 2015. If injuries were a "part of the game" everyone would benefit equally. They dont. KD would've been a champ in 2012 if he got lucky enough to face Lebron with 2 members of his championship core injured.
KD does have a finals appearance without the Warriors btw. He was in the 2012 finals. Lebron beat Steph again on a less powerful team than the Cavs in 2023. He's a Warrior destroyer so long as his own team is healthy and KD aint on the Warriors roster.
KD definitely save their legacy. They'd have been known as the only team to blow a 3-1 lead in the finals. They got crap about that the whole offseason, even after KD signed there. Nobody saw KD as "just a luxury" until after the Warriors starting destroying teams in the playoffs in 2017.
@@Arponareyea injuries are apart of the game so with that being said that’s why they lost the finals against the raptors
Plot twist kd joins the cavs
Where is the "best players in the 2024 playoffs . I NEED IT!!!
Where is it
Where is it
luka is for sure number 1
@@kidscartoons8035Brunson exists
Kevin Durants move to golden state was not logical. It was anti competitive.
Even now, eight whole years later, it IS the weakest move by a franchise player, a superstar ever made.
And it doesn’t matter how many years pass along, it is STILL the weakest move by a superstar ever.
He jumped to a team that went 73 - 9. He jumped to the best team in the league, he jumped to a team that had the 1st ever unanimous MVP in league history. He jumped to a team that was literally one game from repeating as champions.
Kevin knew what he was doing just like the warriors knew what they were doing when they asked him to come. Weak.
Kevin is still a great player no doubt but the move to the warriors was assembling the avengers, nobody was beating that.
Facts
Lebron going with champion wade..bosh,Ray allen etc wasnt that classy either
@@duangc3280 Let’s straighten this up. The next year after Wade won his chip which was 06 - 07 the Miami heat finished with a regular season record 44 - 38 whilst being CLEAN swept in the first round of the playoffs.
07 - 08 The Miami heat finished with a record of 15 - 67 likely due to Wade being injured. They didn’t even make the playoffs.
08 - 09 The Miami Heat finished with 43 - 39 losing in the first round of the playoffs in a seven game series to the ATL hawks.
Then in 09 - 10 the Miami Heat finished with a record 47 - 35 losing ONCE AGAIN in the first round in a gentlemen’s sweep to the Boston Celtics.
As you can see with FACTS what lebron did compared to Kevin Durant is nowhere near the same thing playa.
@@duangc3280Not the same.
@@duangc3280 At least LeBron did not decide to join that loaded Celtics team that beat him.
Kd is that guy you want on your team for the finals his regular season won’t be well acknowledged but his play off performance ends with finials mvp. GSW Durant was the best player.
KD will be in the hall of fame
No shit sherlock
Hot take lmaooo
woah really
Thanks captain obvious
So will Draymond. Who cares
That 2021-22 season was just humiliation for KD. Irving being an idiot, Harden getting his fat suit ready again, and Curry getting cheers and MVP chants in his own stadium. And Curry won another chip and a FMVP without KD
GS is lucky that KD decided to the sign & trade to Brooklyn, or else Curry would've had nothing that season.
That season was a permanent stain to KD's legacy.
Facing injured teams and certified playoffs choke artists like the 2022 Celtics
@@melvinhhcp3615Cry me a riiveerr 😂🤣🤣🤣
@@KMM5821the choke artist that held the supreme choker Durant himself to a 38% shooting on that whole first round sweep series 😂🤣🤣
its unfortunate that he will be remembered as the 3rd best player in his era
Don't act like you like this team hopping retard.
Not really
Yeah, lebron number 1 (im a warriors fan), curry 2, and kd 3
He better that fraud curry he carried curry to both rings 😂, literally lead curry in all stats including assists for curry fans who lie
Curry also scored majority of his points when warriors were up 10 kd scored when the6 were tied or down unlike the choker curry who can only score when there is no pressure 😂
KD has changed the game with his influence of how to smash the league in shooting, dribbling and scoring if you are in the tall of the center i think this influenced many tall players who doesn't want to play like old center player, the next generation of the players will always respect and appreciate KD playing his game like Wembanyama, KD really changed the game for those players
Greatest bus rider of all time
Facts 2 fake rings
💯
he's the driver dummy
@@bucksfan1945They ain't fake if they actually exist.
he wouldn’t win finals mvp if he was
It’s crazy to think that the Golden State Warriors are the ONLY team that fully unlocked KD’s potential as an elite player yet he did not even try to recreate that with another team, Imagine playing to a system that suits your offensive playstyle yet you do not want to utilize nor try to adapt some of the plays you learned. It puts into perspective how GSW and Steve Kerr’s style of playing is and forever will be one of the greatest style of playing ball alongside the likes of Coach Pop, Coach Phil, and many others.
He should join the spurs with wemby and cp3.
You forget to add one thing that Curry is probably the best enabler of such system to apply. His constant and relentless offball movement with the capacity to draw opps defenders to overreact,, with his willingness to randomly set screens, not holding the ball too long and a very willing passer. Not many stars playing such a brand of basketball that makes other players thrive to their best ability, generating so many easy points. Kerr-Curry-Green is such a deadly combo for how they managed to unlock the best ability of each other, creating a foundation of a team that can't truly be replicated even until now I'd acclaim.
He can’t recreate it with another team because another team doesn’t have Steph.
I fault KD for leaving OKC after being up 3-1 against Golden State. However, the cheap ass billionaire owner should’ve paid the luxury tax to keep him, Harden, and Westbrook together. That was our Thunder best chance at winning a title. Hopefully, SGA can get us there now.
as it explained by the video, the way OKC playing their stars is so bad, that's why Durant move to GSW was the best move as a player ever, even if Durant stays in OKC they will wash Durant and Westbrook. seing SGA OKC doing well i think OKC GM learn from the mistake they made during KD, Westbrook, Harden era.
@@quintusdiast3477nah bro you can't talk like that , Every season is a chance to revaluate your mistakes and climb back to the top but sadly for KD, He left OKC when he was pretty close to giving them a title and went to a ready made warriors team!!!
OKC literally had that X Factor to win a championship with him buh he gave up on them and now literally people hate him for joining the warriors😢
@@chronostv20712016 OKC was not close. Billy Donovan is not a championship level coach. Russ, Waiters, Robertson, are not championship level players.
@@chronostv2071 KD took OKC to the finals, conf finals twice. it seems OKC can't build a championship team around KD.
and look OKC post KD not even contender, until they rebuild the whole roster.
Okie here.
Let's be real, the real sauce was move Harden to starter and cut back on WB.
W vid, KD is one of my favorite players and it's crazy how easy it is for him to get a bucket.
*Maybe do a vid on The Admiral tho*
Hey man great video
bud hasnt even watched it all
@@KobeBryant-m9yur first to find out check out the other videos im trying to do this every time cause i wanna see if I don’t comment what people will say but i need people to see first
We all know how impactful Durant is during that GSW days. He just fits, everything he does compliments the team. And that team up will be one of the best team up we will ever see.
How good was Lamarcus Aldrige actually?
I've waiting for that video for so long
Trash. There's your answer
@nonstop
Or Baron Davis
unpopular opinion: his legacy isnt complicated, YALL make it complicated.
You use the same method KD uses, blame someone else 😂
Imagine how entertaining the finals would be in 2017 - 19 if kd hadn’t joined the warriors. It’s a really intriguing reality to think about
Everybody shits on KD, but seems to forget that lbj played on 8 straight superteams.
KD missed most of 2019 postseason, including Finals. The KD warriors only decided the outcome in 2017 & 2018.
While KD is soft, lebron ruined more nba seasons than Durant ever did
@melvinhhcp3615 any super team he was on was never at the level or warriors with KD, they were already a 70+ win team with 3 elite players and KD decided to join cause he wanted a easy route to rings, atleast LeBron worked his ass off to get his. KD had easy shots cause other teams had the splash brothers and Draymond in the paint to worry about
@@jjreyes7037 Lebron joined a stacked Miami team to get his first chip. Stop giving him a pass.
@@TheKingOfAmalek already stacked?? It was Wade and Bosh in 2011, no real bench, and a 1st round exit in 2010 that's it, far from a superteam, stop acting like he joined Boston or something
It's not complicated, my man. He'll be remembered as the greatest ring chaser of all time.
His legacy is forever tarnished after joining the Golden State Warriors 😬
Said the Lebron meat sucker
So why isn't lbj's legacy forever tarnished for creating superteams since 2010?
@melvinhhcp3615 the different is KD joined a defending champion team and LeBron joined a none playoff team and made them a champion.
@@hplarespinosa Lbj still has been creating superteams since 2010, in fact more than KD.
@@melvinhhcp3615 It is, whataboutism is not an argument btw, KD the golden bus rider.
Kd is a 7ft guard a 1 of 1. Let's be honest he given all of us buckets! 💯 he mastered scoring💯. And he is still ballin after a Achilles injury.
Man I know people hate that he went to the Warriors but KDs play style was made for that Warriors team. You could tell right away that KD was in his element
KD doesn’t have a “complicated legacy” he’s already cemented his legacy as the greatest scorer of all time!
KD always dominated with the Warriors but with the Thunder, Nets, and Suns, no chips.
look at the spacing of those teams lmfao
KD dominated with the warriors because he was always open because the other team was always doubling Steph Curry 😂😂😂
@@Bobby_Digital37KD was 4x scoring champ you 🤡
@@relentlesshunter1394 Poor guy he had to join a team with the two best shooters of all time and a DPOY lmfao
@@skyh2394 poor guy had to play with russel westbrick in 8 years. Shit worst than getting a death sentence
Best NCAAB player I've ever seen in addition to his incredible NBA career. He's in my top 20 NBA all time.
14:31 aint no way yall put oscar robertson over Kobe, Hakeem or Steph🤦🏿♂️
Make it easier.
Take LeFraud out of it too.
2 more rooms to fit.
No Kobe in the picture is outrageous!
Greatness is not calculated by numbers...
Oscar goes over Steph, not the others.
@@melvinhhcp3615 how?!😭
@@melvinhhcp3615Give Steph 70's version of Kareem he would've won him at least 3 championships instead of one like Oscar did 😂😂
@@judyclarkson5887 Kareem & Oscar only played 4-5 years together at the beginning of the 70's, ending in 74. Steph himself didn't win multiple titles until he got KD. So idk what you're referring to.
When the greatest shooter of all time hypes you up after a shot!!!!! You're something special man! Love KD❤
The commentary on 2019 is just flat out wrong. Klay was also injured in that series, as well as Looney, and missed game 3 while clearly being hobbled in game 4, before tearing his ACL in the 3rd quarter of game 6 while the warriors were in the ascendancy. Theres a strong argument that the warriors win in 2019 without KD if they dont suffer multiple injuries. And this is without getting to replace KD on the roster with even a league average small forward. KD made the warriors unbeatable, but he was not the MVP of that team. It was always Steph (and Draymond) that made the team go.
I find it hard to believe that someone who saw the 2017 Warriors could not agree that KD was their best player.
KD will always be my favorite player no matter what team he players for I'll support them.
One of the best channels!! Watch every vid
The slim reaper😮💨
Im KD fan my favorite player in the league I thought this was a fair assessment of his legacy so far but Kd is definitely going to go down as the best basketball Olympian ever that's for sure
KD is definitely my favourite player. His skill set and the fact of how he is to guard makes him an all time great.
Warrior KD was the greatest KD the world has ever seen
So Klay didn't get injured in 2019 too you don't have to diminish the people around KD to raise him up.... KD is great for sure but he still has to prove it
The 2019 finals is actually Klay's best performance. But against the Cavs, Klay was straight trash in EVERY series against the Cavs.
KD has literally nothing to prove dude he’s a top 10 all time there’s zero debate to have about it
@@ziegfeld4131 KD has only won with the warriors plus him going there is viewed as one of the weakest moves in the leagues history... He is a top 10 talent no doubt but he definitely still has something to prove... He needs to prove he can win without a super team... I respect KD though what I don't like about this video is it's trying to diminish Steph, Klay, Draymonds contributions they were not role players on that squad... KD is great but let's not take away from the warriors to cement his legacy
KD legacy genuinely intrigues me because like someone said I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player in arguably any sport win 2 chips and that he held AGAINST the way it’s been held against KD.
Never forget how Toronto was cheering when durant got hurt with an injury.
They knew that because he got hurt. They were going to win, but with KD they had no chance.
Wow, fans of opposing team are happy that one of your team's best player got hurt? That's a nonsense. Fans never would do that
No sh*t lmao
Imagine thinking a team with Kawhi and a bunch of role players could've won against Curry-KD-Klay-Green.
Toronto fans were cheering because the field became more even 🤷🏻♂️
@@skyh2394 That's petty. The guy got injured. No excuse to cheer for it. Imagine making this excuse when the Toronto players themselves shut the whole crowd up for cheering.
i cheered not because im a raptors fan but because i disliked snake durant i wanted to see him hurt and fail
😂😂
I feel like when talking about the 2019 finals, what they glossed over was that Klay was also hurt before he went out for good in the game 6. I think if Klay had been healthy the whole series, they would have won even without KD.
That’s all media antics, he is the best scores and certified legend
KD is one superstar player. He might not be a Jordan but definitely he belongs in his league.
👇10 minute gang
KD legacy is cemented. Best scorer in nba history, no one comes close especially at that height. It was his choice to join Warriors and took over playoffs/Finals. Some players are just pure hoopers but not born leaders. Appreciate greatness when hes still here ballin!
He aint even close to be the best scorer in nba history, Jordan is.
Maybe the one who does it more effortlessly? Dont fuckin care tbh
"Appreciate greatness" we will when we see it, 2k glazers need to stick to video games.
His legacy was ruined when he joined a 73-9 team that had just very narrowly lost a 7 game finals series to get his two participation trophies.
73-9 team that also is the only team to blow a 3-1 lead in the finals. It's so hilarious to me that people forget that part of it. I remember like it was yesterday. People had SOOOO many jokes like this:
"Today is the last day of August. The last day of August is the number 31. Put a hypen between 3 and 1 and you get 3-1. Never forget that the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead."
The only thing the killed those dumb repetitive jokes IMMEDIATELY (that very well may have lasted years) was KD joining them. Then everybody forgot about the blown 3-1 lead because Stephen A Smith made the 73-9 record the focal point of the KD slander.
@@smoothsavage2870 I said “very narrowly lost” 😂
@@williamtoad8040 They didnt very narrowly lose. They just lost. Simple as that. Then they called KD to help them beat Lebron.
@@smoothsavage2870 yea that’s true. Shame that people think the Warriors were this great dynasty when it came down to pure dumb luck on their end at LeBron’s expense. 2015 Kevin Love getting his shoulder ripped out of his socket in the first round followed by Kyrie’s knee cap cracking in half at the end of game 1 in the Finals. Then Durant joining the Warriors. When you know had it been the other way around and LeBron won under those circumstances people would’ve been asterisking the hell out of those championships
@@williamtoad8040 Fair point. The way this all played out, somebody's legacy was going to take a hit regaredless. If KD never joins the Warriors, we likely dont even care about Steph the same way we do now and Lebron has 6 rings at this point in his career.
The Lebron stans would never shut up about him finally having a true GOAT case (despite not really working for it). But KD sacrificed his legacy to get payback on Lebron for an unfair series in 2012 and the media spun it on him instead of seeing it as an "eye for an eye" scenario. Thems the breaks i guess.
It would have been Majestic if he made the OKC champion and never joined the warriors he's talent will surely blossoms
The description of the 2019 finals is very very inaccurate. That was a Warriors team with no depth (which they traded for KD) and multiple games without Klay Thompson. The Warriors were simply outmatched, despite Stephen Curry putting up 47 in a loss.
If 2022 Andrew Wiggins was on the court, the Warriors may have won.
Any summary of the Warriors that says KD was their best player isn’t accurate
So you're trying to tell us that the depth that they let walk for KD in 2016 wasnt replenished after 3 seasons? Sounds like BS. Andrew Wiggins wasnt stopping Kawhi Leonard that year. And KD was their best player. They to this day havent beaten Lebron (and a healthy team) without KD. They just lost to him in 2023. And Lebron is effing OLD. They STILL lost to him.
He made steph greatest point guard ever thank you 😭
It's not complicated..KD joining the Warriors will forever be the weakest move ever by a Superstar 😂 he got 2 asterisk Championships
LeBron joining Wade and Bosh? Don't forget the alleged pact between the three in the 2004 Olympics.
Plus, KD did give his all in his time in OKC.
@jdapaul1351 Lebron to thr heat is nothing like KD to GSW. I can tell you either young, dumb, or both. KD went to a team that went 73-9, with the ONLY EVER unanimous MVP in Steph and already had a title and was 1 game away from a repeat. His weak ass left after he blew a 3-1 lead too.
Lebron NEVER EVER had a team like KD had with 3 MVP's on it in Cleveland. Never. Lebron waited way too long for Cleveland to get their shit together. Hell, he even went back and got them one once he became the GM basically. Comparing KD's move when he had all the pieces already to win and just needed to man up and get it done to Trash ass Cleveland is laughably ignorant.
@@kerrydaniels8460you bring up a lot of good points but if we're talking about the move itself how is what Durant did any different than LeBron going on live TV to rip the entire city of Cleveland's heart out?
@@MazeDaGr8Durant moved to a team that just absolutely beat them down 3-1 and his team actually tried to build around him. OKC wasn't ideal by any means but it was not nearly as bad as Lebron's cavs before the decision. LeBron essentially 1v5 every game and Cleveland wasted away years of his career.
@@jdapaul1351 Had LeBron done a dimilar thing to Durant, he would have signed with the Celtics.
One of the best to ever touch the ball
I don't think his legacy is tarnished - I just don't think folks think he really was ever at the level as a leader like LeBron and Curry. Folks want to pretend like after 2016 the Dubs weren't going to be contenders if nothing changed...of course they were. B2B finals, best regular season record in history, 2xMVP as Curry was easily the best player in the NBA those 2 seasons. Durant didn't make them contenders, they were already that and if anything favorites.....he made them unstoppable.
In the end Durant benefited just as much from Curry as every other player on that team and thats fine. Curry was more than happy to enable Durant in order to win chips, thats why he is a leader.
More than any of that though, the Warriors were and will always be Curry's team. That wasn't ever going to change, and it seemed Durant wasn't happy with that.
Curry's not a leader though. Never has been. Draymond has always been the leader of the Warriors. Had Curry been the leader, there are a lot of situations with Draymond that would've been handled by Steph. For instance all the nut kicks Draymond did in 2016 that led to him getting ejected in the finals. You dont allow a player to run rampant like that if you're a leader.
I wish he never left OKC. We were so close to winning several times.
is the top 10 2024 playoff players coming out?
The conversation around basketball legacies has gotten so toxic that players can't even succeed without criticism anymore. KD is one of the greatest to touch a ball nobody can dispute that fact. That's all that matters to me as a fan.
That dam fool could have had at least four rings if he stayed with GS… instead he’s struggling everywhere else he’s gone.
Doesn’t matter they struggled without him as well for years
@@t.bo.e2487 GS won a title without KD in 2022. KD shouldve stayed
@@t.bo.e2487if you mean by struggle is getting to 4 finals winning 2 and losing 2 of them so be it. We all know as well that 2019 finals they didn't only lose Kd. As they also lost Klay. A detail that Kd's apologists and fanboys love to ignore. In fact Klay didn't play on that series game 3 too other than that tragic acl injury in game 6. That series against the Raptors was 2-2 when Curry got Klay on his side. They lost the other 2 gms when Klay didn't play the whole game (game 3) and didn't finish the game due to injury (game 6).
@@t.bo.e2487now compare that to Kd's one single finals trip in his 13 seasons in total when he didn't play with them GS. That's what I would call as a 'struggle' in fact instead of them GS without Kd. Lol
I have a picture of me and KD from his rookie season with the sonics when they came to Detroit. I’m still rooting for him but….its been rough at times
Nothing complicated about it. This guy gave ya'll 15+ years of excellent ball and all we do is complain. Look at the ppg. Look at the finals stats and the playoff stats. He is a certified baller and all we can do is bitch about it. It's quite crazy.
Nothing wrong with complaining about the most important thing, winning.
Him being elite for 15 years doesn't excuse that he joined a 73w team with a x2 MVP, a DPOY and overall x3-4 allstars that beat HIM the same year in the playoffs.
yeah, quite crazy. Judgemental fucker
@@skyh2394and still he got 2FMVP’s…
@@skyh2394 Were you around when the Warriors blew that 3-1 lead in the finals? Can you tell me what the narratives were when they blew that 3-1 lead in the weeks prior to KD joining them? A lot of you fail to remember how the Warriors got clowned after that series. KD stopped all the dumb repetitive jokes almost immediately.
Thats why they say If you can't beat 'em Join 'em
nice vid
first comm
His legacy is really complicated but I think he's the most efficient of all time. In my all time starting 5, I will always put him amongst.
KD gets the hate for his championships and rightfully so. But Lebron’s Heat Championships are in the same category.
no they are not 😭 lebron wade and bosh formed a team that wasn’t established kd joined a team that HE blew a 3-1 lead against the year and they were already established and went to 2 finals b2b and lebron had no choice but to leave a dysfunctional cavs franchise that continued to fail to make a contending team around him
@@bigblackmonkey3 Wade was the 3rd player in MVP voting the right behind Bron and Kobe. He had already won a championship. Let’s not forget Bosh was averaging 23 points,almost 10 rebounds and 3 times all star and an old Ray Allen but who is top 75 players and top 10 shooting guard of all time just behind MJ, Kobe, Wade and Iverson. You can’t bring any sort of excuses about them not being a super team. There is 82 games in season, they have plenty of time to practice behind the scenes, have access to the best facilities and coaches. They lost to an old Dirk, they didn’t also didn’t manage to sustain the winning streak. In Lebron’s words: “not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7,..” how did that go?
@@EA-dweller i never made an excuse of that heat team not being a superteam but let’s also not forget wade and bosh scoring averages were going down each season and bosh’s rebounds also went down and why are you making it seem like ray allen wasn’t washed at the time just because he’s a top 10 sg doesn’t change the fact that he was washed, kds move to the warriors is not in the same category as lebrons move to the heat, yes they were both superteams but kd joined a team that went 73-9 the year before signing with them and it was also the same team that he blew a 3-1 lead to
No, it's not. In terms of joining other great talent to win, sure. In terms of the circumstances around their decisions, not the same at all.
The same category would have been LeBron joining the powerhouse Celtics.
To me KD’s main problem was after the Warriors he had the awful Achilles injury, then underwhelmed on Brooklyn and Phoenix. So people more so remember him as selling out to get a ring, then always underwhelming in the playoffs, as opposed to his dominant Thunder years.
KD was never underwhelming in BK. His best year in BK (2021), his team was injured (Giannis injured one of his teamates personally). It was KD vs Giannis, MIddleton and Jrue that year. The next season the team imploded for multiple reasons and KD still played great in spite of that.
Curry took a backseat for Durant. Many overlook that.
Literally every single person Ive ever heard since like 2015 will tell you ‘kd is top 2 rn and top 5 ever’
They want you to forget that Warriors literally went on winning streaks after KD injury. The only reason they didn't win the finals that year was because Klay got injured. They are trying so hard to push the "warriors need KD" narratives 😂 nice try
13:06 hand shake fire 🔥🔥🔥
KD is a legend
Damn spot on, great video
I always said that. Kds career was so unlucky. Just imagine he never got injured, he would probably 3 peat with 3 FMVPs in a row. Or imagine his toe wasn't on the line, the Nets would have gone all the way imo. Wouldn't be surprised if he got another MVP in those years. Kd is a Top 15 player all time already, but the fact that he could be considerd a borderline Top 3-5 player of all time if he was a little bit more lucky is kinda sad.
Most of the 🏀 world never respected his GS titles. I do not think a 3rd woulda helped change. As for nets they lost kyrie so i dont think KD and a hobbled harden would have beat suns
Unlucky? Lmao
Be glad he's a x2 champ and x2 FMVP because the NBA shouldn't let it happen like they did with CP3. Unlucky my ass
greatest #2 player a team could ask for
GSW was always Curry's team
Kds choices led him right out the top 10 all time
Honestly Kevin was the best on the Warriors, I really wished he didn’t leave for Brooklyn the Warriors would’ve probably have won at least like 5 Championships if Kevin stayed on the Warriors❤
KD should’ve never went to Golden State the way he did. But it was also his best situation and running mate. He should’ve stayed 10 toes down in his decision, never left and become a Bay Area Legend .
Talent of a Top 20 all time. Maybe even Top 10. But those chips will always have the shadow of being a weak move. And I think its right that fact counts against his legacy honestly
Individually Kevin Durant is definitely one of the greatest players to ever play basketball. Best scorer of all time 🤷🏿♂️
Hes still a HOF no matter what and tye greatest scorer of all time.
Kd definitely could've had a shot being considered in the goat conversation, no matter how good he is we all know the community doesnt like superstars going to superteams, and yet kd has done it three times. If he had even just stayed with okc and not win a ring, he would most likely be more respected that way compared to his current legacy
Thing is I love watching KD play. He’s so smooth and just a great shooter but I just felt he was doing a lot of whining. He’s definitely top ten no doubt. He’s just the one guy whose chips will be used against him which is crazy!!!!!!
There's no denying that KD is an amazing player and one of the BEST, but he isn't one of the GREATEST in my eyes because he only ever joined superteams. His play was amazing at GSW but you could argue that any top tier player dropped into a 73-9 team suited to them with the only ever unanimous MVP would perform similarly.
He's Kevin Durant. You know who he is.
KD is a Top 10
2x Champion
2x FMVP
4x Scoring Champion
14x All Star
11x All NBA
3x Olympic Gold
ROTY
28k Points
... He is still playing
Kd is 100% top 10 in history
He should’ve never cared what people thought of him. The clear best player on that GS team; stay and win more man. Who cares what the critics say.
About damn time 💯
KD going to 4 WCF and a finals with Russ as his co star makes Russ look really good now considering he hasn’t gone far in the playoffs after leaving the warriors
KD is unequivocally one of the greatest NBA players of all time. However, such trade to the overpowered Warriors might seem coward for KD, I reckon KD was extraordinarily performing in those years and his accolades & prowess are to behold.
7:30 Rockets did not miss 28 straight, if you watched the whole game Harden made a 3 with a foul but the refs waived it, the same shot klay made but was counted in by the refs.
7:36 Not Your A Game, Your A+ Game
Despite how mad I was and how weak it was when he went to the Warriors, there’s no denying that he is one of the greatest talents that the sport of basketball has ever seen. His legacy was definitely ruined by that move, there’s no denying his talent.
This video honestly hit the nail on the head. KD is without a doubt a phenomenal scorer… OKC let him down with trading Harden. Their system was good, but wasn’t that effective. Like seriously, how do they have a guy like Andre Roberson who consistently airballs 3s at the SG position. His move to GSW was weak, but it brought out some of the best basketball KD has ever played. His assist numbers were up, he found his defensive role as a helpside rim protector that even carries on till today in PHX. I totally agree with the video that the lack of success in Brooklyn wasn’t entirely his fault. Kyrie refusing to get vaccinated and play, Harden refusing to stay in shape. He practically willed the Bucks series to OT in game 7. Sadly, the fact of the matter is that his legacy is still stained. Not sure how his time in PHX will conclude, but I hope he cleans it up. He really is one of the most skilled players in NBA history, it would be a shame to have his accolades not reflect it.
Amazing player for sure. One of a kind but career management.. that part was pretty rocky for him. Still one of the greats. People are needlessly hating on this guy imo :D
Even with accolades, you can make an argument he is top 30. But without accolades and off of pure skill, he can definitely 1v1 anyone
This is not to put KD down, not in the least.
But the main reason he was so unusually efficient for the Warriors in the Finals was because Cleveland was focusing all their attention on Curry. Curry and Thompson profitted off of him too of course, but KD specifically was the one who gained the most out of that partnership by a good margin.
This argument falls apart when you look at how well KD was at scoring in the 2012 finals without Steph. Which is literally mentioned in the video. All KD needed was better floor spacers than Russ and Harden (at the time). Compared to the 2012 finals, KD's efficiency was only 1 percent higher with the Warriors in 2017 and dropped to 53% in the 2018 finals. KD was going to get his numbers with his efficiency REGARDLESS.
@@smoothsavage2870 Efficiency isn't telling the whole story here.
He can be similarly efficient in both instances but still have an easier time in one.
Take that infamous fastbreak dunk where the defense runs out to Curry to prevent the three, allowing Durant to just dunk it. He would've finished with two points either way, a fastbreak layup against one defender is still an almost guaranteed make, but one is obviously easier than the other.
This is also somewhat evident in the stats. Durant shot way better from three in his Warrior finals appearances and averaged a lot less turnovers than he did with OKC, while also doing a lot more rebounding.
@@tormentor91 KD had some easier looks at times with the Warrior because there was more spacing on that team. It wasnt solely Steph. In OKC he had to work harder because there he had Russ who was a terrible shooter and Harden who hadnt hit his prime yet.
@@smoothsavage2870 I'm not disagreeing on that point, but if you give Russ an okay jumpshot not much will change for KD in OKC, because he is still the biggest threat by far.
Most teams would still rather give a solid shooter an open look than have KD shoot from anywhere in any situation
But on the Warriors it was different. Most teams would rather see Durant shoot than Curry. That is not to diminish Durant, but especially in the context of the Warriors, you're not going to win by trying to contain Durant, you're going to win by containing Curry.