Warriors Star Responds to Kevin Durant's Superteam Debate

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant is drawing strong reactions on social media for comparing the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers to the 2017 Golden State Warriors. This offseason, Philadelphia assembled a new-look core of LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe.

Durant signed with the Warriors in 2016, after the franchise completed a record-breaking 73-9 regular season campaign. With strong support from Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, he won two consecutive NBA championships and NBA Finals MVP awards.

As part of Durant’s debate that the 76ers are a stronger team on paper, the 16-time All-Star alluded to Thompson as never being a bona fide MVP candidate and Green being a relatively low-impact scorer.

Draymond Green’s Response

On the latest episode of his podcast, former teammate Green responded to whether the 76ers are a stronger team than the dynastic Warriors.

"You have to understand the way KD views basketball, and the way KD views basketball is very Uncle Drew-ish. This game will and always will be about buckets. So he's going to mention the 25-point scorers… He also said the Sixers are better on paper than the 2016-17 Warriors. I don't know that I can agree with that, I don't really think it works."

The combined scoring average for James, Brown, Embiid, Maxey, and Edgecombe was a dominant 120.8 points per game last season. The projected starting lineup, however, is unlikely to continue this production when new dynamics for the team are established.

While James is still an All-Star-caliber player, averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists at 41 years old, he will be entering the final chapter of his playing career. Embiid’s availability also raises concerns for Philadelphia’s center position, as he has not appeared in 65 or more regular season games since 2023.

In comparison, Golden State made six NBA Finals appearances over eight years. In addition to Durant’s two Finals MVP awards, this run featured two league MVP awards for Curry, consistent All-Star appearances for Thompson, and consistent NBA All-Defensive Team selections for Green.

Although the 76ers should be considered one of the top title contenders in the NBA, time will tell whether the franchise can reach the high expectations expected of it next season. (After not getting out of the second round in quite a well.)

The difficulty of translating top-line talent to prolonged success was evidenced by Durant’s run with James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets; a lineup that looks impressive on paper does not always generate deep playoff runs.