Kevin Durant, a player synonymous with scoring excellence, has established himself as one of the NBA's most formidable players through his career. As we dive into his 2023 season, it's essential to compare Durant's performance to his historical standards, evaluating if the former MVP and multiple-time scoring champion continues to uphold his high standards.
Throughout his illustrious career, Durant has been known for his remarkable scoring ability, efficiency, and versatility on the court. With career averages often exceeding 25 points per game and shooting percentages that are the envy of many, Durant has consistently been a top-tier player in the league. His ability to score from anywhere, coupled with meaningful contributions in rebounds and assists, underscores his all-around impact on the game.
Shown above, Kevin has his impressive free throw shooting over the course of his career, Since 2025 in particularly, it's hovered near at the impressive 90% mark. This year, Kevin is shooting lights out from 3. He's actually shooting 50% from the beyond the arc this year, which would be a career high for him if he keeps that pace up.
His points per game is up even while maintaining his imppresive efficiency. Durant's statistics show a continuation of his elite performance. Averaging 31 points per game, with a field goal percentage of 52%. Durant is not just matching but arguably surpassing some of his previous years' efficiency. His free-throw percentage remains high at 89%, adding another dimension to his scoring. Additionally, Durant's contributions in assists (5.68 per game) and rebounds (6.47 per game) remain robust, showcasing his well-rounded game.
When compared to his historical performance, several points stand out:
Scoring: Durant's scoring average this year aligns with his career's best, demonstrating his unwavering ability to put points on the board.
Shooting Efficiency: This season, Durant shows an improvement in his shooting efficiency, especially from the three-point line, which is a significant aspect of today's game.
Versatility: His assists and rebounds numbers are in line with his career averages, indicating his continued contribution beyond scoring.
Given these observations, it's clear that Durant is not just up to his historical standards but in some aspects, he's surpassing them. His scoring efficiency, particularly from the three-point range, has seen a notable improvement. This enhancement, coupled with his sustained scoring averages and contributions in other statistical categories, illustrates that Durant remains at the pinnacle of his game.
The graphic below shows Kevin Durant's Cummulative Threes made in every season. This shows the pace at which he's hitting threes as well as the total. This shows that Kevin had a few games where he was on pace to hit career threes, but the last couple games he's regressed his pace to outside his top 5 at this point in the season.
As the season progresses, Durant's performance continues to be a testament to his status as one of the game's greats. His ability to maintain and even improve upon certain aspects of his game is remarkable, especially considering the wear and tear of a professional basketball career. Whether Durant maintains this high level throughout the season and adds to his legacy of being an MVP-caliber player remains to be seen, but based on the current data, he is undeniably living up to, if not exceeding, the lofty standards he has set throughout his career.
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