Kevin Durant has the 2nd most gravity in the NBA

I have no idea how they come up with these "gravity" numbers.

But it's not difficult to know that if you replace Jalen Green with Kevin Durant, your offense is going to be raised a few notches. Sure enough, our ORtg last season was 114.9 (12th). This season so far, even after a relatively bad December, is 121.0 (3rd). Our TS% last season was 55.3 (24th). This season is 59.1 (10th).

Those who think Durant makes our offense worse have no objective evidence to prove it.

That said, do I like how the offense is run with Durant as the first option? No. I think it is very shortsighted relying so much on the old dude. And we are not taking advantage of Durant's gravity.

 

KD is advertised like this:

 

KD is here to replace and upgrade the Jalen role. He's done that very well. What he hasn't done is replace Dillon or Fred.

Let's see how the team plays when DFS is ready. And let's see how much Reed or a newly acquired PG can do to fill in Fred's role. But I'm not gonna blame KD for team shortcomings and voids he was never equipped to fill.

 

KD isn’t a floor raiser or someone who carries a team. You don’t get him to initiate offense at this point. We knew what we got him at this point, none of this was a secret.You use him as a finisher and draw up plays to get him open or utilize his gravity to get others open - enter his TOs and Udoka’s complete inability to draw up anything beyond the most simplistic plays and it’s a bad combo.

 

That’s an important argument. I mean, just imagine if KD took all the shots that Jalen took vs. Warriors in the playoffs. Other than that - no other changes. We would have destroyed them 4-1.
Fred’s injury is a problem. DFS injury is also a problem. KD was not meant to cover for a pg role and for a leading defender role.

 

Once Fred got injured, it made a questionable trade a borderline waste. KD is too old to be playing seasons without legit championship potential, and he's averaging too many minutes. Rockets have no leader on the court - not one who's won a playoff series.

 

Interesting Durant went from ''not Top 10'' to 2nd.

Sounds like an offensive scheme issue, whether good or bad.

 

I am sure he is paid more than Olajuwon was .....

I am also wary to blame someone who is about to enter retirement, as great as a player he still is, he is not that guy that leads a team, he was not a great leader when he was 26, and surely not now.

 

You have Joe Pocket whose essentially offering flat earth conspiracy level arguments.

 

KD is much better than JG and it shows in the numbers. But he doesn't make anyone else better, just like JG. It is not his fault, it is his game and he is great at it. He plays his game independent of the rest, and that's part of why he fits in very easily. It is udoka's job to make it work as a team, and to get the max out of the whole 5. If you depend on him as a first option, and hoping him to initiate plays you'll fail miserably. He'll still get his numbers but it won't be a winning team. He should be finding his shots as a secondary or last option most of the time. The first options should be less. He should be a threat rather than the main play. He is not suited for that role, because he is not good at passing out of double teams or dribbling with the ball.

 

That was the exact thing in Phoenix with Booker and Brad in and out of the lineup, KD won them some games but overall the team was not really good....were 6-7th seed and then fell to the 10th seed.....

 

It's actually very simple. KD's gravity is influenced by the gravity of those sharing the court with him. If you surround one of the greatest shooters of all time with a bunch of guys who can't create their own shot, then his pull will be that much stronger in relation to their pull. Basically, KD attracts more defenders because they're happy to leave Amen and Okogie open.

 

Need some scientific graphics to be convincing.

 

thinly-disguised KD-is-a-black-hole thread, now with graphics.

reported

 

Imagine if you could pair two of the top 5 gravity players in the league together.

Make it happen, Stone.

 

Beal missed half the season. Rockets aren't the same garbage 3PT team from last year... Okogie is 40%+ and every other player not named Amen has improved immensely from range.

This seems more systematic.

 

GREAT post. They should trade KD at the deadline and give him one last opportunity at a ring.

 

Trade him where and for who?

 

I'd rather have a player with gravitas. We need a player wearing a vest.