Considering Stephen Curry‘s ascension as arguably the best player in the NBA, it's easy to forget that Kevin Durant is playing some of the best basketball of his career.

Flash back to just two years prior and you'll see Durant as the top player in the game, garnering MVP honors during the 2013-14 season after leading the NBA in scoring for the fourth time in his career.

However, fast forward to present day and Durant has clearly fallen in the popularity pecking order. Whether it was the foot injury that wiped out his 2014-15 season or just the mere fact that other players in the NBA have exceeded Durant skill-wise, the Oklahoma City Thunder star was not a happy camper last summer, according to ESPN‘s Royce Young:

“I know you say don't read stuff, don't check Twitter, who cares. It doesn't affect me, I don't go home and not sleep at night, but it makes me go out there and say ‘f— you, I'm going to go out there and be who I am and you can't deny it.'

Those guys, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, players that are considered at the top of the league at that moment and right now, they deserve all of that. It's nothing taking anything away from them. But I deserve it, too. I was definitely pissed.”

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Outside of Curry's clear dominance, LeBron James has remained at the top of his game, as he recently led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Kawhi Leonard has taken the mantle as the San Antonio Spurs‘ best player and he's widely considered to be the best two-way player in the game today.

While Durant certainly has an argument about being slighted as one of the game's best players, he won't be back in that top two or three players conversation unless he leads his team to a championship—something that the aforementioned three players have accomplished in their careers.