5 reasons that solidify Kevin Durant's status as a modern great regardless of his presence on super teams

Kevin Durant is deservedly recognized as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history and his most recent performance against the Milwaukee Bucks simply shows that he can also be dominant playing all-around basketball.

Some might not hesitate to call Kevin Durant the best basketball player in the NBA today. But there is a lot of noise surrounding him and his legacy, mostly from criticism aimed at his inability to win championships without a superteam.

Kevin Durant has not won an NBA title without being a member of the Golden State Warriors superteam that had already won the 2015 NBA championship and played in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Durant's greatness would've certainly given him the chance to win at least one NBA championship without a superteam around him. But his current Brooklyn Nets are another version of a superteam when all players are healthy.

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5 reasons why Kevin Durant is a modern great

The criticism aimed towards Durant will not go away unless he wins an NBA championship with a modest roster around him. Though that has been an unlikely situation throughout NBA history and is probably an unfair task for any player.

In this article, we will give you five reasons which solidify Kevin Durant's status as a modern great in the NBA.

Without further ado, let us start.

#5 - Clutch gene

Kevin Durant might be the target of heavy criticism regarding his mental toughness and ability to block outside noise. His 'burner' accounts on Twitter have caused him turmoil, but still, he is a tough player who has shown up in big, clutch moments for his team.

During the Golden State Warriors' championship-winning years in 2017 and 2018, Durant earned the Finals MVP award twice, and in both Finals, he came up big in the clutch in Game 3 of the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals. Those two games were key in deciding the outcome of the series, though the Warriors were heavy favorites regardless.

In the 2020-21 NBA regular season, Durant ranked 14th in points scored in the clutch and made 48.5% of his field goals in those situations. Moreover, he is third in points in the clutch among active players in the 2021 NBA Playoffs and has made 50% of his field goals, 50% of his three-pointers, and 75% of his free throws.

#4 - Kevin Durant's versatility and ability to adapt to different circumstances

Kevin Durant has been great at adapting to what is around him. He excelled at scoring and other areas of the game, regardless of whether he had Russell Westbrook, Reggie Jackson or Stephen Curry as the primary ball-handler on his teams.

Moreover, as he showed in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, he can be the primary ball-handler on the team and score and assist his teammates on almost every possession.

Durant averaged 27.4 points with the OKC Thunder on 48/38/88 shooting splits. Although his average dropped to 25.8 with the Golden State Warriors, he was more efficient (52/38/88) in Steve Kerr's flowing offense and played stunning basketball.

During the regular season with the Brooklyn Nets, it did not matter to Durant if he had both James Harden and Kyrie Irving, one of the two or neither around him. He scored at the same rate and adapted his game to what the team needed.

#3 - Durant proved with the OKC Thunder that he can guide a team to deep postseason runs

Although he could not win a championship with the OKC Thunder, Durant took the team to the 2012 NBA Finals with James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The franchise also reached the Conference Finals three other times (2011, 2014, and 2016) during his stint with the team.

Durant averaged 28.8 points, eight rebounds, 3.7 assists, a steal and a block in 91 postseason games with OKC on 46/33/85 shooting splits. His numbers did not drop in those series in which OKC lost. He averaged 30.6 points in the 2012 NBA Finals on 55/39/84 shooting splits.

#2 - He seems to be an unselfish superstar, which has been a winning trait in the past

Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets high-fives Stephen Curry.

Kevin Durant's ability to adapt to any team he's been on mainly comes from his seemingly unselfish approach to basketball, both on offense and defense.

On offense, Kevin Durant is right up there with the most skilled scorers ever seen in the history of the NBA. But surprisingly, KD is not a player that loves to control every aspect of his team's offense.

Granted, he did not need to control the offense in OKC, with Russell Westbrook doing so most of the time. Even less so with the Golden State Warriors, where two-time MVP Stephen Curry and tremendous playmaker Draymond Green usually call the shots.

Some stats easily prove Durant is not a ball hog. But perhaps the most impressive fact is comparing Stephen Curry's and Klay Thompson's shot attempts in the year before Durant's arrival and during his first season with the Warriors.

Curry attempted 20.2 field goals per game in the 2015-16 NBA season, the year he won his second NBA MVP award. With Durant in the mix, Curry averaged 18.3 shots per game, only 1.9 fewer than the previous year.

In Thompson's case, the stats were even more impressive, as he averaged 17.3 shots per game in the year before Durant's arrival and 17.6 after. Durant, meanwhile, averaged 25.1 points per game on just 16.5 field goal attempts.

#1 - Kevin Durant is a dynamic player regardless of who surrounds him

There is no denying that Kevin Durant is one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the NBA. But calling certain players just 'scorers' might put them inside a box that can't contain their basketball excellence.

Durant is not only one of the best scorers, but also one of the greatest players in NBA history. Period. His scoring rate is certainly unique. He ranks first among active players in points per game (27.02) and is fifth all-time.

Moreover, Durant ranks first among active players in average points per game in the NBA Playoffs (29.36) and third in NBA history, only behind Michael Jordan (33.4) and Allen Iverson (29.7).

But KD's story does not end there. He is also an above-average passer as he is in the Top-10 in playoff assists among active players. Although his assist average was not high in his early years in the NBA, he's averaged around five assists per game over the last eight seasons and is closer to six in the last few years.

Defensively, Durant is solid as he has led his team multiple times in defensive rating. He was the Golden State Warriors' leader in blocks per game during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 NBA seasons (championship years).

An overlooked aspect of Kevin Durant's game is his rim protection. While his height is often a point of discussion for his unreal abilities on offense at 7-feet, his frame helps him to protect the paint with consistency.