Kevin Durant: 5 Reasons Why Comparing Him to Tracy McGrady Is Fictitious Belief.
(Author's note: I wrote this in response to this article)
"Kevin Durant is the next Tracy McGrady."
To anyone who is an anti-Durant (though there probably isn't a lot of them), this statement is something to strongly believe in and be optimistic about. But for true fans of the game and realists, this absolutely does not make any sense.
This would have been a huge compliment to KD had this comparison been made four years ago when T-Mac was still his old high-flying self. But given McGrady's tarnished reputation, this becomes a massive slap in Durant's face. He isn't even four seasons into his young career and has played in only one playoff series thus far. Assumptions CAN'T immediately be made that early especially to players in Durant's caliber and work ethic.
So here are the five reasons why the Durant-McGrady comparison should totally NOT be taken seriously:
1. Playing Style
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Yes, Kevin Durant is an awesome scorer just like McGrady. Both have also won the scoring title and both shoot three-pointers maybe a little too much. Additionally, both are known for their laid back demeanors on and off the court.
But if you watch closely, T-Mac gets a huge chunk of his points while dominating the ball and during one-on-one plays. He did most of the scoring and playmaking chores in the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets teams he was on—partly due to the fact that he has never been teammates with an elite-level point guard during his prime. But T-Mac is generally the type of player that needs the ball a lot to be effective. That is how he scored his points and became a two-time scoring champ. Other than that, there is basically no other way for him to consistently do damage on the offensive end.
Durantula fills the scoreboard a little differently. Mainly because he does not have to handle the ball a lot for the Thunder (this task goes to Russell Westbrook), he has had the luxury to play off the ball in several occasions. He can be effective with or without dominating the basketball. He can run through different screens to get open for a dunk, layup, perimeter shot, or three-ball. Durant's ability to play well off the ball while also being a great one-on-one threat is one of the keys to having a long NBA career.
If only Allen Iverson willingly learned about this concept and realized that there is more to basketball than handling the ball in nine out of 10 of your team's possession in a game, he might still be in the league right now and remain a valuable contributor to any team he plays for.
Fortunately for Kevin, his career does not seem Iverson-esque thus far. Unfortunately for Tracy, he is quickly turning into the next AI—and not in a good way.
2. There Are Players That Play More Similarly
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You should also know Durantula's game mirrors the game of other players more than that of T-Mac.
His "effortless" style of scoring the ball is eerily similar to that of Carmelo Anthony. His length and ability to shoot is reminiscent of Rashard Lewis during his days with the Seattle SuperSonics. And I don't know if it's just me, but his ridiculous shooting range, size and rebounding ability reminds me a bit of Dirk Nowitzki.
And a whole lot less of McGrady.
3. Work Ethic
3 of 5This is something that all the greats of the game have in common.
Legends like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would have never been as fantastic as they were if they did not invest a huge amount of time on working to get better. The same goes for currently active players like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin and Durant himself. These ballers are often the first ones in the practice court and the last ones to leave.
If you are an avid follower of the NBA, you should know by now that the work ethics of Durant and McGrady are worlds apart (the video shown here is just an example of how hard KD goes during workouts and practice sessions). He also makes it a point to eat the right way in order to stay in excellent playing shape. It also helps that he maintains a close bond with his mom, who he claims to be one of his biggest basketball influences.
T-Mac, on the other hand, has an extremely flawed view of going to practice and working on his game. Being dissed by his former coach and GM further adds insult to injury.
Poor guy.
4. Kevin Durant Is Far from Entering His Prime
4 of 5At this stage of his career, Durant is already a legitimate superstar. He is an MVP candidate, multiple-time all-star and a runaway winner for his second consecutive scoring title. Furthermore, he led Team USA to the once-elusive Gold medal finish in the FIBA world championships this previous summer.
And the scary thing is that there are still five months more to go before he turns 23 and is still playing on his rookie contract! Just to remind everybody, Durant entered the league as a 19-year-old kid coming off a stellar freshman season at the University of Texas.
The thing is that given how good KD already is at present, he is far from being a finished product. Some areas of his game are still a work in progress—particularly his passing (only 2.7 APG for his career), low-post game and perimeter defense. If he can dramatically improve those areas over the next few years, then he has a fighter's chance of challenging His Airness’ crown for “The best player of all-time”.
Given how Durant works on his game, it won’t be surprising if he maxes out his potential or even go beyond—something T-Mac probably will never accomplish.
5. History Does Not Always Repeat Itself
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Durant clearly struggled in last year’s playoffs. It was most evident on his shooting numbers: 38 percent from the field and 29 percent from long distance while being constantly hounded by defensive specialist Ron Artest. Though he partially made up for it in terms of rebounding (7.7) and free throw shooting (87.1 percent), it didn’t hide the truth: Kevin Durant’s first playoff stint was a big disappointment.
But it’s also very wrong to compare Durant's failures in his only playoff appearance thus far with McGrady’s career-long playoff issues. Not only are they different players, but the circumstances involved are polar opposites as well.
There are actually two ways of putting KD’s struggles in the 2010 playoffs into perspective. They are the pessimistic and the realistic. When using the pessimistic approach (you’re clearly a hater if you make use of this), you will have a huge belief that those struggles will carry over to this year’s playoffs and all the playoffs following this season’s. First impressions last and will never ever change. That, my friends, is how a pessimist will look at things.
A realistic approach will look at things more positively. Yes, Durant struggled mightily against the Lakers defense last year. But despite of that, OKC still took Kobe Bryant and Co. to six games and were also one offensive rebound away from pushing it to a Game 7. Not to mention that not only Durant was a playoff debutante that season, but 80 percent of the entire team as well. So how much better could they have done if Durant’s game was on? Could it have been more than enough to prevent the Lakers’ second straight championship?
To predict that the Kendrick Perkins acquisition will hurt the Thunder instead of helping them is just like saying Justin Bieber has a bald head. This year, the Thunder got something that they have been in dire need of for a very long time: A banger and interior defender who can do all the dirty work underneath on the defensive end of the floor and help them match up with their Western Conference rivals. Perk just made OKC a complete team and it’s only a matter of when it all comes together for them.
With that being said, KD will have a greater chance of leading OKC to not only multiple playoff series, but capturing Larry O’Brien Trophies as well.
T-Mac may still have a few more chances left to finally win his first playoff series. But him LEADING a team past the first round? Nah.
Therefor, Kevin Durant is definitely NOT the next Tracy McGrady. Enough said.
