Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
With two NBA titles and two NBA Finals MVPs on his record, his place in the sport’s lore is etched in stone.
As one of the best to ever play his position, Durant is uniquely qualified to assess other small forwards.
And that is precisely what he did recently.
With the obvious stipulation that Durant is one of the faces on the NBA small forwards Mount Rushmore, he then went on to pick three more.
His picks were: Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics.
It’s hard to quibble with any of those picks.
Obviously Leonard’s injuries are a bit of a hinderance to his legacy, but he is still a multi-time champion despite them. Combine that with being a beast on both offense and defense when he’s healthy, and it’s easy to see why Durant selected him.
Whether he is breaking down the Kyrie Irving situation, speaking facts on the Jordan Poole-Draymond Green fight or expressing frustration with certain Nets deficiencies – Durant generally keeps it pretty real. So there is no reason to assume he was trying to preserve anyone’s feelings or play politics with these picks.
He genuinely believes that Leonard, James and Bird deserve the top spots.
Hopefully Durant continues to offer his thoughts on the NBA. He is quite insightful when he wants to be, and his understanding of the game is unmatched.
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