Which Kevin Durant is the best?

Right: CBS Sports, Center: Kelley L. Cox/USA Today Sports, Left: Sports Illustrated

Since being drafted into the NBA in 2007, Kevin Durant has transformed into one of the most prolific superstars in NBA history. KD possesses a scoring ability that very few in the game’s history can match. Not to mention, Durant’s build only makes it even harder for him to be stopped.

The Brooklyn Nets superstar was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) in 2007, a year before they drafted his longtime superstar running mate in Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook. With the Thunder, the duo would make several memorable playoff runs, including a finals berth in 2012.

In the 2013-14 season, the 12-time All-Star earned KIA NBA MVP honors. However, KD’s final season in OKC was arguably the most memorable for fans. In 2016, Russell Westbrook’s play inserted him into the talk of top-five players in the league, and Durant continued playing like one of the NBA’s best players.

Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

KD’s nine-year run in OKC was one not to be forgotten. However, a big constant was falling short. In the 2012 NBA Finals, Durant’s team was simply much younger and inexperienced compared to the opposing Miami Heat. While a young Durant still averaged 30 points and six rebounds, the three-headed monster of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh was too much - resulting in a 4-1 victory for Miami.

In his last year with the team in 2016, the Thunder were up 3-1 against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and an all-time upset was looking inevitable. Instead, Oklahoma City ended up losing the series 4-3 after failing to close out on three separate occasions.

Beck Diefenbach/Associated Press

In the 2016 offseason, Durant shocked the sports world by announcing he would be signing with the Golden State Warriors, who were coming off of a 73-9 season with one title already under the belt in the Steve Kerr era - the same Warriors that had just defeated the Thunder. Unsurprisingly, the super team would win back-to-back titles in dominant fashion in 2017 and 2018, with KD winning back-to-back Finals MVPs. 

While very few were betting against Golden State’s success, it is still important to note how it was Durant who oftentimes seemed like the best player on the team. In both Finals series, it was KD who was closing out any tight window Golden State was in on the road, shutting down the heroics of LeBron James. 

During his three-year run in Golden State, Durant not only won two titles after not having any for so long, but he also gave many a reason to believe that maybe James wasn’t the clear runaway guy to call the best player in the world. Durant was only becoming a more dominant player, and his special scoring ability would only elevate.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

After winning two championships, Durant would take his talents to Brooklyn alongside seven-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. After missing the first season due to an Achilles injury, Durant came back looking like he hadn’t missed a step. In the postseason, the trio of Durant, Irving, and James Harden made the team heavy Finals favorites.

However, injuries to Irving and Harden ended the Nets’ title aspirations that year as they would fall short in a seven-game second-round series to Giannis Antetekounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Still, Durant was playing absolutely out of his mind, with two near fifty-point games and every shot attempt seeming automatic to go in, especially in crunch time. Antetekounmpo would even refer to Durant as the best player in the world twice in the series, including right after game seven. The Brooklyn Nets have been surrounded by plenty of drama, but through all that, Durant is continuously able to perform at a high level for his team.

With Durant’s three runs now being looked at, as of right now, KD from the Golden State Warriors is his best version. While the patterns of underachieving in Oklahoma City and thus far in Brooklyn are not necessarily Durant’s fault, closing out was usually never a problem in Golden State. Back-to-back titles and establishing himself as arguably the best player in the league during his time in The Bay is what makes that chapter his best one.