Home/NBA

via Imago

via Imago

Thanks to a 49-33 record that they established during the regular season, the Phoenix Suns have now advanced to the NBA Playoffs. A major contributor to their initial success was 35-year-old point guard Kevin Durant, who was not only one of the most consistent players on the roster but also its highest-scoring member. While his performance during Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves left little to no doubt about his capabilities, KD’s veteran rival still believes that the player possesses a weakness that limits his scoring ability.

A few hours ago, Draymond Green released another episode of his long-running podcast. During the same, he highlighted KD and other players like Damian Lillard to talk about how they continue to be a dominating presence. However, he also believes that the one thing that is holding them back from doing better is their growing age. “You see these guys, still playing at an insane level…. but once you get to that age, you can only do it in spurts,” said Green.

“KD, can’t give you that 48 minutes straight every night, although it helps during the playoffs that you get those days in between”. Green highlighted that such an example is not new by stating, “We’ve seen this movie before”. In his own 12-year experience as an NBA player, Green suggested that KD should be placed as the one blocking Anthony Edwards during the next five remaining Suns-Timberwolves games, while the Suns as a whole should rely on its younger players like Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen to carry the offensive play.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Green reiterated his point, saying, “He may give you that one night, two nights of the series but he can’t give you that every night because the years are getting up there man, the legs is different. What you need Kevin Durant for is to say ‘K, we need you to go stop him, we need you to go stop him, don’t worry about the offensive end’”.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Kevin Durant is setting records even at age 35

Kevin Durant is currently the 23 oldest player in the league. Despite this, his current performance is at a higher level than most of his counterparts and his young rivals. His average score of 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5 assists over 75 games has helped the Suns reach this level. If that isn’t enough already, then all we need to do is have a look at some of the records the player established this season itself.

USA Today via Reuters

The two-time NBA champion started off his current season by ranking 13 on the league’s All-Time Scoring List. By the time March almost ended, he had risen to the 8 position. In January, during a clash against the Indiana Pacers, he recorded 18-25 field goal attempts to drive his score up to 40. This allowed him to become the first player from the Suns and the 14 player overall to score 40 or above through zero free throw attempts. Despite losing to the Boston Celtics back in March, Durant ended up dropping a season-high 45 points during the same.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Having been in the NBA as long as Durant, Draymond Green’s opinion to limit his former teammate’s offensive prowess may hold merit. However, while he may not play as many minutes as would be expected from him, Kevin Durant continues to show that he is the X factor that is currently driving his team up the steps of success steadily. Game 2 of the Suns-Timberwolves may go on to serve as another example of how the 35-year-old leads and does not let his age ‘weakness’ put him off.