Golden State Warriors: All-Decade Team for the 2010’s
Small Forward: Kevin Durant
An indirect result of Klay Thompson’s eleven three-pointers in Game 6 of the 2016 playoffs was driving one of the final nails into the coffin of Kevin Durant’s time in Oklahoma City.
There was some speculation that Durant would depart in free agency. Then there was some speculation that the Golden State Warriors would make an offer.
Few were able to process when it all finally came together.
The Golden State Warriors found a way to upgrade Harrison Barnes into Kevin Durant. Barnes, by no means, was a bad player. But Durant was a perennial All-NBA talent that equipped the Golden State Warriors with another player who was an automatic bucket.
In his relatively short three-year tenure with Golden State, Durant put up 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 block per game. He made the All-Star team in all three of those seasons.
For many fans, it can be difficult to fully embrace Kevin Durant’s time with the Warriors given his still-fresh departure for Brooklyn last summer.
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But his impact on the franchise is hard to match.
He gave the Golden State Warriors the final weapon to be able to take on any juggernaut that was headed their way.
He secured two NBA Finals MVPs and elevated his game even more during the most important moments.
And despite what fans might think of his decision to head to the East to play alongside Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant laid it all on the line for the Golden State Warriors.
In his final act, he made his way out to the floor in Game 5 of an elimination game in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After being stripped of the ball, he limped and fell to the floor, grabbing at his right Achilles.
He had ruptured it.
The Toronto fans, who have been given the unfair credit of being classy cheered as he hobbled to his feet and stumbled again.
It was a depressing ending for Kevin Durant’s time with the Warriors. While there has been much to criticize in terms of overall fit, there is no telling what the Golden State Warriors would have been had Durant not decided to announce his next chapter in the Bay Area.