NBA: Why Kevin Durant Is a Better 4th-Quarter Closer Than Kobe Bryant
Kevin Durant is a quiet, unassuming superstar. That doesn't mean he isn't the best closer in basketball—because that is precisely what he is.
On Thursday night, Durant did what he needed to to get the Thunder a come-from-behind win over the Orlando Magic. On the road, Durant dropped 38 points—18 coming in the fourth quarter—helping the young thunder come back from 14 down to earn the road win. There was nothing sexy about it all, and you won't find Jeremy Lin-level hype following the effort.
This is simply what Durant does.
Kobe Bryant is the measuring stick that every last clutch NBA player will be evaluated against. He is the Mariano Rivera of hoops, a closer who can always be counted on to get the job done.
There is no denying the legacy the Black Mamba has left for us; but this is all about the here and now. Bryant may still operate with ice in his veins when the clock ticks down, but there is a new superstar on the rise who can dominate in the clutch: Kevin Durant.
82Games gives us a sortable stat of clutch moments. They define that moments as the fourth quarter or overtime, less than five minutes left, neither team ahead by more than five points.
There are the moments, with the game hanging in the balance, that you want the best player to have the ball. Here is what we found in this season:
- Durant has 53.4 points per 48 minutes of clutch time, while Bryant has 33.8. The real telling stat is efficiency.
- Durant hits 43.1 percent of his shots from the floor, while Bryant has a dismal 27.9 percent. From there you get a sense that Durant is operating with far more calm and consistency when it matters.
There is a simple reason for this, and that's Bryant commands a great deal more attention and brings it upon himself to shoot some of the team's most undesirable shots.
If there is a shot 30 feet away from the basket with a few seconds on the clock, there is no doubt who is taking it.
I am not one to ever agree with Skip Bayless, but he has a point in this tweet: "If Westbrook keeps staying out of way in 4th q, lets Durant take over way he did at Orlando, he'll surge into MVP lead. KD>LeBron as closer."
Durant is not special in playing with a fellow star player. Bryant has Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum on the floor. You could even count Derek Fisher as a player of note who can hit a clutch shot.
However, Russell Westbrook is one player that continues to assert himself and ask for the ball. Durant has been fine with sharing the load, but that only serves to spit the defense late in games.
Bryant will get all eyes on him, while Durant gets just a touch of slack late, at least more than the Mamba gets.
This takes nothing away from Durant who continues to make the most of every shot that he does see fit to shoot late in the game.
It only serves to pique the interest of how great Durant could be if he demanded the ball at all times like a star like Bryant does.
He has the talent and sweet shot to make his unquestionably the best closer in the game. He only needs the attempts and time for the rest of the basketball world to realize it.
