Kevin Durant: 4 Reasons Durant Will Lead Thunder to NBA Title in 2012

Coming off of a scintillating 51 point outing last night in the Oklahoma City Thunder's victory over the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant and the Thunder once again showed why they are currently the best in the West.  Behind the high scoring tag team of Durant and Russell Westbrook the Thunder currently pace the Western conference with a record of 24-7.

Despite his scoring being down slightly compared to last season Durant has enjoyed arguably the finest first half of a season in his young career.  This can only bode well for the Thunder as they try to avenge last seasons Western Conference Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. 

While the scoring is down this season Durant has elevated his game in other areas on the basketball floor.  In addition to Durant elevating his game this season his Thunder teammates have also taken a step forward.  Here is a look at four reasons why Durant and the Thunder could win the NBA Title in 2012.

More Efficient Scoring

The 27.6 points that Durant is scoring this season is down compared to his last two seasons but Durant so far this season has been a more efficient scorer.  With a shooting percentage of 51.6 percent, this season Durant is nearly five percentage points above his career average. 

If you looked solely at Durant’s scoring average this year you would think that he has regressed due to the decrease in his average points per game.  While his average has decreased slightly this season it is because he is taking fewer shots than he has in the past two seasons.  In last night's 51-point performance Durant only needed 28 shots from the field, this is very efficient. 

Durant’s improved efficiency will get a boost if Durant starts hitting his free throws in the second half of the season, Durant is shooting 5.1 percent lower than his career average at the foul line. 

Improved Defense and Rebounding

Due to his height and wingspan it always seemed like Durant could provide more to the Thunder on the boards and defensively.  This season has seen Durant take encouraging steps forward in both areas. 

Perhaps the most needed development for the Thunder was for Durant to provide more help rebounding; so far this season Durant is averaging a career best 8.1 rebounds per game.  Durant has bolstered the Thunder’s defensive rebounding efforts in particular by averaging, 7.6 defensive rebounds per game.  For perspective Durant’s previous career high in rebounds per game was 7.6.  Durant has also elevated himself as a shot blocker thus far by averaging a career best 1.3 blocks per season

Durant’s defensive and rebounding abilities will always be in the shadow of his offensive ability due to his prodigious scoring ability.  However, for the Thunder to make the Finals this season they will need Durant to continue his development into a more well-rounded player. 

Creator

In addition to becoming a more efficient scorer on the offensive end Durant has also started to became more adept at getting others involved.  Durant is currently averaging a career best 3.3 assists per game in the 2011/2012 season. 

With the constant defensive attention that Durant receives from opposing defenses he has plenty of opportunities to find the open man.  This is something that he is still struggling with, Durant is averaging a career high in turnovers this season, but as evidenced by the increase in assists Durant is working to improve at this. 

The better Durant can become as a creator means the less attention that opposing defenses can focus on him.  The Thunder offense is one of the elite offensive units in the NBA, it would become that much more lethal if Durant elevated his ability as a creator

Teammates

The key reason for the Thunder’s ascension to top team in the West has been the emergence of players like James Harden and Serge Ibaka.  In addition the continued development of Russell Westbrook has eased the scoring burden on Durant. 

After two solid seasons in a Thunder uniform Harden has turned into a lethal sixth man off the bench who comes up big in crunch time.  In addition to pouring in 16.6 points per game off the bench Harden has also taken on a more involved role in the offense as a ball handler that creates for others. 

With Harden and Daequan Cook helping to space the floor for Durant, the Thunder offense is averaging 102.3 points per game, which is good for third best in the league.  On the other side of the ball Serge Ibaka has continued his growth into one of the premier shot blockers in the league.  With an average of 3.3 blocks per game, including 11 last night, Ibaka has done an excellent job protecting the rim for the Thunder.