This summer, as soon as the season was over and the Basketball community was done celebrating (or hating on) the Cavaliers' first NBA title ever, people were mainly focusing on one thing: Where is Kevin Durant going to play next year? The fact that he was very close from reaching the NBA Finals (it would have been only the second time in his career) in the 2015-2016 season with the Thunder made most NBA fans think that he was going to stay in Oklahoma.
Some teams' names came up as strong contenders to sign him, like the Celtics, the Spurs or the Wizards (from his hometown), but nobody was really thinking of the Warriors as a viable option.
It was, in fact, the team he had almost beat in the last Western Conference Finals (the Thunder lost 4-3 after leading 3-1). The Warriors, even though they had just lost in the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, were also already extremely star-studded and it seemed improbable that a superstar like Durant was going to be added to that squad. But it happened...
After the talk comes the time to play
After the time of speculations around this new "super-team", comes the time to actually watch them perform on the court. When arriving to the Warriors, KD joined a team that comprised the two-time reigning MVP in Stephen Curry and two other All Stars and All-NBA nominees in Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
Many experts thought that Durant's stats will get worse and that he would struggle to make a real impact on the game. But if you have ever spent time watching Durant play in his career since he's been drafted in 2007, you would know better than listening to these "worries."
Even with incredible players alongside him in the lineup (especially the baby faced assassin), KD is the undisputed leader of his squad after 19 games (and the Warriors hold an NBA-leading record of 16-3).
He takes over when the Warriors are struggling and has been very "clutch" in important moments in many games so far this season. When the game is on the line, the ball often ends up in Durant's hands, because of his exceptional ability to create a shot for himself and of how he can score in so many different positions:
KD is more efficient and versatile than ever
To get Durant, the Warriors had to let go some key pieces of their 2015 NBA Championship and of their 73-9 regular season like Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Marreese Speights or Festus Ezeli.
Golden State now lacks a bit of some things like rim protection or rebounding and Durant, a small forward, is actually taking this role at times with his height and arm span. His rebounding stats (8.6/game), blocks and steals stats (respectively 1.7 and 1.6 per game) are all career highs which shows us the 2014 MVP is trying to focus on a lot of different things with his new team.
The Warriors lead the NBA in assists and KD is completely fitting into their system by creating opportunities for others and taking advantage of the opportunities his teammates create for him. He has been very efficient so far, being the Warriors top scorer (27.7 pts/ game) while taking less shots than Stephen Curry (17.5 vs 18 for Curry).
Critics said before the season that the Warriors are going to have a tough time to adapt to each other and find ways to play together. But after more than a month of play, it is starting to look like this squad can perform very well, without much "sacrifice" from their stars.
Indeed, as Draymond Green has focused on defense even more, all three of the Warriors' best offensive weapons (Durant, Curry and Thompson) average more than 20 points per game and have similar numbers in the shots taken per game category. Durant, more than his pal Steph Curry, can realistically contend to the MVP award again this season (it would be his second) if he keeps being the Warriors' leader and if they finish the season where they are expected to finish it: on top of the standings.