Kevin Durant’s Christmas Day performance confirms that he is now the alpha on the Golden State Warriors, not Stephen Curry.
When Kevin Durant announced that he would be joining the Golden State Warriors, basketball fans immediately started to question the fit. They wondered how the ball and shot attempts would be distributed between all of the Warriors’ All-Stars. It was all just a big question mark.
Figuring out how to handle two MVPs is a problem every team or any coach would want. Having all the talent in the world isn’t a bad thing–just a challenging one. It takes time to figure out how to share the wealth and make sure everyone is involved.
Even beyond sports, successful organizations don’t generally have two heads. Even if there are multiple incredible individuals, they probably can’t be equals. So, for as selfless as Steph Curry and Durant are, one must sort of rise to the top.
More from Blue Man Hoop
This has been Curry’s team since the Warriors traded away Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut in 2012. They made him the face of the franchise and he led them to the golden era of Golden State basketball. He’s an All-Star, a two-time MVP, a record breaker, a champion, and an icon.
It is no longer his team. As a Steph Curry guy, it kind of hurts me to type that. But this is Durant’s team to lead and carry.
Durant has been the Warriors’ best player all season long. He leads the team in points, blocks, and minutes per game. He’s just .1 rebounds behind Draymond Green and he’s third in assists. He’s shooting a career high 53.8 percent from the field. Durant has been getting it done on both ends.
Curry has been great this year too. Of course, he isn’t having a season like last year when he was named the league’s first unanimous MVP, but it is comparable to his first MVP season in the 2014-15 season. He’s averaging 24.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. His shooting percentages, however, have dropped.
The Warriors lost a heartbreaker to the Cavaliers after Kyrie Irving’s amazing turnaround jumper. Narratives were rampant and were thrown around recklessly after the game. It’s just one game at the end of December so it’s important to not overreact, but there are some takeaways worth noting.
This has been Steph Curry’s team for years and he’s done a great job being the leader and the face of the franchise. Durant has been the team’s best player this year. It is now his team. If there was any debate before, Christmas Day confirmed it.
Only one MVP showed up to play in this rivalry matchup. Durant had 35 points and 15 rebounds and made big play after big play while Curry struggled to get going. He had just 15 points on 4-11 shooting while finishing with more turnovers than assists. It wasn’t even that he was missing shots; he was making bad mistakes and looked disengaged for most of the game. Steve Kerr put the ball in Durant’s hands for the final play of the game.
Curry is still a top three player in the world. His last two season have proven that. He has all-time talent, but he’s taken a backseat to Durant out of necessity. It’s the right move instead of letting his pride get in the way and locking himself into a messy power struggle.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Curry is perhaps too passive. He needs to realize that he’s an incredibly gifted player and the team is unstoppable when he’s in rhythm. He needs to command the ball more, especially when Durant is on the bench. This is partly Kerr’s fault, but Curry needs to go out and try to get his too.
Durant and Curry are 1 and 1A. They’re both marvelous players with unprecedented skill sets. Both can, obviously, lead a team on his own. For the Warriors to be successful, one guy needs to be slightly on top of the other on the pecking order.
It seems pretty clear that it’s Durant who’s going to be that for Golden State.
