Kevin Durant is well-known for defending himself on social media against all kinds of criticism. The 36-year-old superstar proved this once again when he took to X to respond to a fan’s comment about the Phoenix Suns running ISOs and how effective they have been for the Western Conference team this season.
Advertisement
Stat Defender shared a list on X of the top teams in the NBA in terms of points scored in isolation this season. It turns out, that the Suns lead the NBA in the most points per possession list on ISOs with 1.05 points per possession. In addition, Kevin Durant tops the list of most successful ISO players with a 58 EFG% on ISOs ahead of the All-Star break.
A Durant fan responded to the tweet by sarcastically tagging a known Suns podcaster known as @scooperhoops. Despite being a Suns content creator, @Scooperhoops has been very public with his criticism of the KD-led Suns squad, even suggesting that their 2024-2025 campaign is already over.
Their season has been over for quite some time, this is just the nail in the coffin. Thank God they didn’t trade for Jimmy to try and “save” it https://t.co/BczwzsZRON
— Sam Cooper (@scooperhoops) February 6, 2025
One of the podcaster’s biggest points of contention has been Durant’s supposed over reliance on ISO plays. He even suggested that Durant and the team should move the ball around more during their possessions.
This led to the KD fan to tweet the following on the thread which shows Durant and the Sun’s ISO success, “But hey @scooperhoops thinks KD isos aren’t good enough for our team and the ball should move more.”
but hey @scooperhoops thinks KD isos aren’t good enough for our team and the ball should move more
— kd is back (@CamKD012) February 6, 2025
Durant would then join in on the fun. He responded to the fan’s tweet and also tagged @scooperhoops in the thread, “He makes a solid point.”
He makes a solid point @scooperhoops
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 7, 2025
The 15-time NBA All-Star has a knack for trolling haters online, especially when those haters come for his game. However, the stat in question doesn’t tell the whole story.
How good are the Phoenix Suns in the ISO?
The Phoenix Suns’ ability to create ISO situations is a big reason they run up the score on opponents, especially from Durant, Kevin Booker, and Bradley Beal. The three stars have all found success creating ISOs, but Durant is the standout. The two-time NBA Champion’s 58 EFG% on ISOs ranks him above other notable ISO players like Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Zach LaVine and more.
Not only that, the Suns are not even the team with the most possessions on average in isolation, yet their squad still leads the league in percentages. This is a testament to how great they are in ISO.
That being said, the Durant and Booker-led Suns currently hold the 9th seed in the Western Conference with a 25-25 record going into the All-Star break. Perhaps they need to focus on ball movement a little more despite their success in ISO.
