The Struggles of Kevin Durant: Why This Isn't Something New

By Joseph Barry on May 14, 2013

Perhaps the struggles of Kevin Durant are not fairly warranted.

Since Russell Westbrook went down for Oklahoma City in the NBA playoffs, the Thunder have looked very ordinary. They still boast a top 2 player in the league in Kevin Durant; however, without the trigger-happy Westbrook (as well as the absence of James Harden from the preseason trade) all of the pressure has shifted onto the shoulders of Durant. He is expected to produce an output similar to what he and Westbrook regularly accomplished, only without his righthand man.

Arguably one of the best players in the league surrounded by diminished talent; a player expected to win despite a huge lack of help. Despite missing pieces, anything except a conference championship and trip to the Finals is considered a failure. NBA fans have seen this before. I am not talking about Durant anymore; I am talking about Lebron James over his last few years in Cleveland. While I believe he can be talked about in the same sentence as MJ now as he collects inevitable titles in the future, I was hesitant to crown Lebron as anything in Cleveland. Looking back, that seems harsh. Over his seven years in Cleveland, Lebron’s best teammates consisted of Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, and a past-his-prime Shaquille O’Neal. Not the best help a talented, but young, player could ask for. Lebron did the best he could with what he had, making a run to the Finals and an additional Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Still, his fans and critics wanted to see more.

The two best in the game have experienced similar obstacles in their young careers; photo from www.bettingsports.com

Now back to Kevin Durant’s struggles. Durant has arguably done more in his first five years than James was able to do in his first five. This is because he had a great support system of Westbrook and Harden. Lebron is likely the player he is today because of the struggles he faced in Cleveland to some extent. After improving his game on his own in Ohio, being surrounded by multiple Hall of Famers must seem like a cakewalk to the four time MVP. Durant has had a safety net around him for most of his short career; now that safety net is gone for the rest of the playoffs. While the Thunder’s title hopes are all but dead for this season (they trail Memphis 3-1,) in the long run Kevin Durant will benefit. He is learning more about his own game without the all-star Westbrook sharing the spotlight with him. He is struggling leading a good team by himself, so when he is placed on a great team (which is what the Thunder are with Westbrook) he will be ready to rise to the occasion. Once that happens, only Lebron will stand in his way.

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