Kevin Durant Says He Won't Get Fair Chance at DPOY Award Because of 'Pure Hate'
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant believes "pure hate" is holding him back from winning the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award.
"You know they're not gonna give me anything," Durant told 95.7 The Game on Tuesday. "Even if it's on the fence, I have to be clear-cut better than everybody for me to even get a look.
"It's just pure hate for me, obviously, and no appreciation for my real skill for the game. But I get it. I understand where we coming from. I understand what we have here in this building that scares everybody."
Durant, the 2013-14 NBA MVP and two-time Finals MVP, excelled last season as he oscillated between guarding guards, wings and bigs and established himself as one of the NBA's most versatile defenders. In all, he averaged a career-high 1.8 blocks along with 0.7 steals per game.
His 2.9 defensive win shares also ranked second among all Warriors players behind 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green (3.4).
If there's a reason Durant only garnered two second-place votes and one third-place vote for DPOY, it's likely because his performance wasn't as robust over the second half of the season. After logging 40 steals and 97 blocks prior to the All-Star break, Durant managed 10 steals and 22 blocks over his 18 appearances following the midseason exhibition.
On top of that, Durant's defensive rating crept up from 107 to 110 after the All-Star break.
However, it's clear he has the chops necessary to take home the NBA's most prized defensive hardware. And if he can sustain his first-half performance from last season over large swaths of the 2018-19 campaign, it stands to reason he will give Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid and Green a run for their money.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
