Rockets’ Kevin Durant Ranks as NBA’s 15th-Best Player

Kevin Durant has become an ageless wonder, much like LeBron James. He’s in year 19 and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

In fact, he just averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, 4.2 assists, 52.7 percent from the floor, 43 percent from three, and 64.2 percent true shooting. That would’ve been another All-NBA season, if he would’ve played 65 games.

To that point, Durant has missed noteworthy chunks of games in five of the last six seasons. But again, he’s up in age, to be frank.

Most 37-year-olds aren’t capable of doing what Durant does, unless their name is LeBron James.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix ranked Durant 15th overall on his top-100 rankings – yet another sign of Durant’s longevity.

“At 37, Durant remains one of the NBA’s most efficient scorers, a 50%-plus from the floor, 40%-plus from three, 80%-plus from the free throw line sniper. Durant averaged 26.6 points per game last season for the rudderless Suns, bumping his three-point percentage to 43%, best in any of his 60-plus game seasons. Durant remains a reliable rebounder (6.0), distributor (4.8 assists) and rim protector (1.2 blocks) who eats up minutes (36.5) at multiple positions. While LeBron James is the example of stars shining in their early 40s, Durant is not far behind.”

Mannix mentioned Durant’s defense, which doesn’t get brought up often. However, he’s excelled as a weakside rim protector, especially during his time with the Golden State Warriors. He also was the league’s best isolation defender last season, even in year 18.

Again, no signs of slowing down.

Durant is easily one of the greatest small forwards to ever play the sport, although he’s spent a considerable amount of time at the power forward spot, especially of late. In Houston, he’ll likely play the small forward spot, with Jabari Smith Jr. (who recently signed a contract extension) slotted at the power forward position.

The future Hall of Famer will also play a large part in replacing Fred VanVleet – the team’s primary facilitator and playmaker. Granted, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard figure to soak up the brunt of VanVleet’s role, but Durant is underrated in this regard, averaging at least five assists in six of his last seven seasons.

Durant draws double teams on a nightly basis, and is able to make the right read and hit the open man. He’s also able to score from anywhere on the court and is especially lethal from the mid-range, which has become a lost art in today’s game.

The Rockets are certainly thrilled to land Durant – a closer that they’ve long coveted, especially for pennies on the dollar.