Kevin Durant has consistently been one of the best players in the league – his overall of 96 is well warranted.
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Kevin Durant had one of the best comebacks from a season-ending injury – he was very close to derailing the Bucks’ championship run. When he injured himself in the 2019 finals, the fans were aghast. But when he decided to leave the Warriors right after that, it was a low blow.
Because he did not play the whole of the 19-20 season, his return to the game was nothing short of legendary. When he came back to play the 20-21 season, he averaged 26.9 PPG, shooting at 54%, a career-high for the Slip Reaper. He one-upped himself, pushing eventual champions Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to 7 games.
So when the time came for 2k22 to rate their players, 96 was well within the realm of what he should have been rated. Very rarely do we see players start with the 99 mark, LeBron James is one who’s held that mark several times. So when he spoke about KD being in the same tier as him, everyone on the thread was in a frenzied state of excitement.
Kevin Durant may have started the season as an MVP-caliber candidate – but fell off 30 games into the season
To be honest, Bron’s call of him being a 99 overall was not far off. Durant could not put a foot wrong, off to a marauding start to the 21-22 campaign. Talks would not die down about how he would be crowned MVP if his form continued. And then it all fell apart so quickly.
Once KD got injured, it was all downhill for the Nets. James Harden reverted to his old sulky self, Kyrie did not play until much later in the season, and Steve Nash was well out of his depth to coaching a Finals favorite. Even after he returned, their form did not take a drastic upwards turn. They managed to scrape through to the playoffs, it did not matter.
They were the only team in both conferences to get swept, and their off-season calls of winning the championship fell flat on its nose. Durant had a stacked team on paper, but in reality, it was like Hangover. Bradley Cooper did all the work, while the rest rode his coattails. Now with his ex-team Golden State Warriors winning another ring, he must be regretting trading the winning lifestyle for Brooklyn.
